


Mind Muscle (Heart) Connection

by how_to_sit_gay



Series: TARDIS Fitness [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: (they'll still be idiots the whole time don't worry), Characters will be added as they appear - Freeform, F/F, Flirting with a mask, Gym AU, Human!thirteen, Idiots to friends to lovers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Rating will change along the way, Slow Burn, Yaz is a disaster bi, and when I say slow burn I mean slooow burn, gym crush, the type that makes you scream into your pillow at 2am bc they didn’t kiss AGAIN slow burn, this baby can fit so much self-projection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:40:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27262126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/how_to_sit_gay/pseuds/how_to_sit_gay
Summary: mind muscle connection (n.) - internal focus of attention involving directing your attention to the working muscle during strength training.Groaning internally at herself, Yaz started the final set. It was ridiculous, really,  like something out of a tacky romance novel. Crushing on a PT she had spoken to maybe three times, how cliche of her.And yet, despite not having had any contact with Jamie for more than two months, she still found herself unable to shake it off.
Relationships: Thirteenth Doctor/Yasmin Khan
Series: TARDIS Fitness [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1990534
Comments: 14
Kudos: 56





	1. a new start

**Author's Note:**

> Note to self: never ever write something in the Tsuranga discord along the lines of "I could write a whole ass slow burn fic with this mess", ppl will go feral and not let you live it down until you agree to actually write it
> 
> **IMPORTANT NOTE PLS DO READ**  
>  This fic is NOT connected to my gym smut fic "Dropping hints, hoping for some tension". The characters are the same, but the stories are completely independent of each other. If you really wanna make a connection, treat the smutty part of the oneshot as one of Yaz's daydreams or whatever (it certainly was my own lol). At one point or other I will however nick parts from that oneshot and include them here.
> 
> This is the first time in my 16 yrs of writing that I have two multi chapter fics out at the same time and I pray to the stars that it won't tear me to pieces... it's gonna be great :D
> 
> Shoutout to the Tsuranga discord peeps who have to suffer through my continuous whining about my gym crush and to my amazing beta wretcheddyke! Oh, and to Mandip for deadlifting 90 kg ofc

When Yaz had joined TARDIS Fitness in Bristol many years ago, she had expected a lot of things to happen. Something like getting to know other like-minded people, going to entertaining classes, increasing her strength and overall feeling more comfortable with her body. 

What she hadn’t expected, however, was becoming friends with one of the personal trainers a week before moving cities for a job and thus (reluctantly) having to get used to a new local TARDIS gym. Or then losing said job not even two years later. Or crushing on one of the resident PTs.

Also, not counting a virus pandemic because absolutely nobody could have seen that coming.

But you have to work with what you’re given, right?

Another thing Yaz hadn’t expected but was more than relieved and excited about was that after an excruciatingly long eight and a half weeks of pandemic-induced closure, her gym would reopen the next day. She might’ve screamed. Just a little bit.

\---

Bill[1:51pm]: your gym opens again tomorrow! :OO

You[2:08pm]: I JUST SAW IT ON IG 

You[2:08pm]: IM SCREAMING

Bill[2:09pm]: that’s it I’m coming over next week

\---

So when morning rolled around, Yaz was geared up and ready to go, her fingers itching to feel the familiar iron in her hands again. Of course there’d be lots of restrictions, only half of the machines available, no showers, no changing allowed in the locker room, but literally nothing could tame the excitement coursing through her veins.

Trying to cling to her last bit of dignity, she had decided to not be one of those people already scratching at the doors before they opened, and arrived five minutes past. Because that totally made a difference - at least in her head. 

Walking up the familiar steps after all this time and seeing the counter appear around the corner felt like walking into a parallel universe. Which it was to an extent, not only because she hadn’t been there for a while, but also because this place had become her second home despite her initial struggle with leaving her former gym behind.

\---

(October 5th 2018)

You[7:56pm]: omg I hate it so much here can I come back to Bristol pls

You[7:56pm]: like, I just had my v first zumba class here and wtf was that???

You[7:57pm]: the music was 2 low and the mic 2 loud like suddenly I can hear what u guys’re talking up on stage and I don’t. want. this.

You[7:58pm]: and what even was that PT’s voice omg how can somebody sound like that??

Bill[7:58pm]: u sayin u never heard my instructions???

You[7:59pm]: well I knew u were sayin /something/ but…

Bill[8:01pm]: now that actually explains A LOT

You[8:05pm] OI what’s that supposed to mean?! Ur not making this any easier for me rn!

\---

Despite the air having a faint tinge of disinfectant to it, the gym’s smell was still recognisable and Yaz immediately felt like a weight was being lifted off her shoulders.

(Which was kinda ironic, come to think of it.)

Pumping some of the disinfectant into her hands, she immediately caught sight of the first familiar face behind the service desk. Mickey, one of the resident PTs and class instructors, greeted her from behind the newly put up plexiglas shield, the way his eyes crinkled clearly showing the smile that was covered by his face mask. She definitely didn’t need to see all of his face to know he was just as glad to be back as she was.

Making her short way to the changing room, Yaz surveyed the obvious changes. Every other machine was blocked off with barrier tape, and lines on the floor showed how many people were allowed in which spot at the same time - in almost all cases only one, which was hardly surprising. 

And still, there were already quite a few people milling about, among them people she had been seeing every morning for one and a half years before the lockdown came. Despite the annoyance she always felt when seeing certain faces already budding inside her, she couldn’t help a small smile. Turned out despite their little differences and disagreements, they obviously were all the same kind of passionate and irredeemable gym rats.

Flinging her bag into her regular locker (front aisle, last one the left, number 13), she did a final itinerary of her workout plan. Since the last workout she had done before everything had shut down had been legs, she was gonna hit them again, full circle and all that. But to be honest, that was as far as her plan went. 

She had all the time in the world for once, she could try out everything that took her fancy without worrying about being late for work. It was the first time losing her job really felt like a blessing.

After her usual warm up on the treadmill, Yaz went upstairs where the leg machines and the free weights area were located. Another PT she’d only seen a couple of times before and thus didn’t know the name of passed her by on her way, but apart from him and Mickey no other staff was to be found so far. 

Giving herself a moment, she looked around and took stock of what was officially blocked off and what was free to use, a low whine escaping her when she noticed her favourite leg press was off limits. Still, things could be way worse, so she headed for one of the free squat racks instead and prepared everything for some deadlifts.

The first touch of skin on iron sent a shiver up her spine and ended in a broad smile on her face. Yes, this was how it was supposed to be, this was something no home workout or resistance band could replace, ever. Looking up from her phone, where she kept a record of her weights, to the plates, she bit her lip in contemplation.

She knew she needed to start slow after a break this long, maybe only take half of her usual weight, but damn it took a lot of effort to actually do that when she knew she could easily lift more. Sighing, she figured seventy kilogram might be a good enough compromise for all parties involved - that being her ambitions, her common sense, and her muscles.

It surprised exactly nobody when three sets later she was at 90, despite telling herself it was a bad idea. But something that felt this good couldn’t be wrong, could it?

So she all but floated from workout station to workout station and exercise to exercise, feeling nothing but elation on her little cloud nine. 

Last on her long list of things to do in the free weights area was the lying leg curl machine. A bit warily, she eyed her long standing nemesis, one of the few exercises in which she failed and failed again to get past a certain amount of weight. Putting on the plates, she decided less was more for once, and laid down on her front to get into position.

Yes, she still put on more plates for the next set, it just happened without thinking. The inevitable consequences were already waiting for her at the end anyway.

Letting the weights slot back into place, she raised her forehead from the bench and blew out her cheeks. Someday she would master this weight, but not today. A lone droplet of sweat fell from the tip of her nose onto the towel and she watched it getting soaked up before she directed her attention to her surroundings.

There were more people around now, unsurprisingly, and she could hear the typical gym noises (mostly weights dropping and men grunting) faintly as the song on her headphones changed. Smiling softly to herself, Yaz wondered if it was possible to feel giddy and at peace at the same time.

And then, out of nowhere, there she was.

Standing in the middle of the floor, hands behind her back, and watching like a hawk for anyone who refused to stick to the distancing or disinfecting rules.

It didn’t matter that Yaz had to look against the bright light of the spring sun that was flooding in through the floor length windows, she would recognise Jamie’s silhouette anytime and anywhere. Immediately, her already worked up heart rate picked up another notch as the familiar nervousness that always surged up in her vicinity flooded her system.

Aiming for inconspicuousness, she grabbed her bottle and tried to watch her out of the corner of her eye as best as she could. The PT had apparently used the lockdown to get her hair cut, the blond strands now falling to her jawline instead to her shoulder like before, but apart from that nothing seemed to have changed about her. The dark blue joggers and shirt were sitting the same way on her rather small frame, still giving barely anything away about the strong muscles that lay beneath. 

While the face mask was a necessary addition to the staff’s personal equipment now and she fully supported that, Yaz cursed only being able to see half of her face.

How she had missed that face. Groaning internally at herself, she started the final set. It was ridiculous, really, like something out of a tacky romance novel. Crushing on a PT she had spoken to maybe three times, how cliche of her. 

And yet, despite not having had any contact with Jamie for more than two months, she still found herself unable to shake it off.

Now she was finding herself in the same dilemma as before: she wanted to talk to her, but about what? The possibilities were limited and she wasn’t exactly gifted when it came to small talk, the only thing they had ever spoken about were zumba class and Jamie’s banged up knee. 

Ignoring her too rapid heartbeat, Yaz reracked the plates. If the blonde was still around after she had cleaned up everything, she would go up to her; if not then so be it.

She was still in her spot.

Taking a deep breath, Yaz grabbed her stuff and made her move, hoping that she didn’t look as shaky as she felt.

“Hey!” Trying to get someone’s attention while still keeping the mandatory distance felt like yelling - or was that just her own mind screaming at her?

Jamie’s head whipped around, blond hair flying with some strands getting caught up in her mask, wide hazel eyes piercing through her. Then recognition set in, the corners of her eyes crinkling with a smile. “Heya! See ya found your way here as well.”

“Will you believe me when I tell you I legitimately screamed when I got the news yesterday?”

“Yeah, I think I do,” Jamie laughed goodnaturedly, “Y’probably weren’t the only one.”

“So, how’re you, did your knee enjoy the involuntary extended rest?”

The PT scrunched up her nose and Yaz mourned not being able to see her adorable signature facial expression. “Totally, but it’ll probably never be one hundred percent fine again anyway.”

This definitely wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “That’s awful, so there’s nothing you can do about it?”

The PT merely shrugged. “Well, I could always take up a different job but this is what I love doing, so why would I?”

“Yeah, I get it. I’d like to have you around for as long as possible as well, so…”

Now it was her turn to regret not wearing a face mask, her instinct to either snap her mouth shut or bite her lip almost impossible to fight. Where had that boldness come from all of a sudden? With heat rising to her cheeks, Yaz almost didn’t dare to look at Jamie for fear of her reaction.

Thankfully, the other woman’s inaudible laugh was reflected in her eyes. “Glad you think so.”

Still being utterly dumbfounded about her own words, Yaz couldn’t think of a response. She was at a loss for what to say now, so a strange silence settled between them as both women looked at each other, waiting for more verbal input to the conversation.

They were both somewhat saved by the bell as Jamie spotted something over Yaz’s shoulder, an absolutely unamused expression flitting through her hazel eyes making them seem darker. 

“Sorry, but I have to--”, the PT groaned with a vague gesture to where a guy twice her size and probably four times her weight was failing to clean up after himself.

Yaz couldn’t help but smile sympathetically at her pained expression and waved her off. “S’fine, don’t let me keep you. Go get him!”

And just like that the PT dashed off. 

Allowing herself one more second to take her in, Yaz let go of the breath that had been stuck inside her throat during their whole conversation. That had gone well, hadn't it? 

After that everything seemed to pass by in a breeze - final exercises, cooling down, stretching - and before she knew it she was checking her watch again and saw she’d been working out for two hours, longer than ever before. 

Yaz knew fully well that she had done more than enough, yet a part of her was reluctant to leave, as if it was afraid that the gym would close its doors again for months as soon as she left. Still, it was to no avail, she had to get a shift on, her stomach was already protesting loudly for the lack of food. 

Backpack on her shoulders, she made her way to the exit, her smile so broad it was hurting her face. The very second the tripod turnstile beeped loudly to let her out, a familiar blond head popped up from behind the front desk. 

She didn’t think it was possible, but her grin instantly got even wider and her mouth got to work without her permission.

“Oh man, this was so amazing! I’m so happy you just can’t imagine!”, Yaz began to ramble as an onslaught of endorphins hijacked her speech centre.

Yet either she wasn’t the first one this morning to walk away from the gym like that or Jamie plainly was used to a lot by now since she just laughed (Yaz loved how she screwed her eyes almost shut when she did that) and wished her a great weekend.

She could hate herself for making a fool out of herself like that later, right now she didn’t regret a single thing.

\--

You[10:36am]: omg i just left the gym and it was amazing and i feel so good and i talked to Jamie and my body will probs hate me tmrw but who cares i’m high on endorphins like nothing NOTHING can spoil my mood today

Bill[10:42am]: woah woah woah slow down

Bill[10:42am]: god i miss working out so much :’(

Bill[10:43am]: but i’m happy for u, ride that wave mate <3

You[10:46am]: :DD <3

\--

Before Yaz had even cracked one eye open, a loud groan spilled from her lips. Pain. So much pain.

Just thinking about moving her legs let waves and waves of hurt run through her body, but her lower back definitely was where it was really at. Staring at the ceiling, she contemplated her life choices. Those damn deadlifts. 

For a second she entertained the thought of rolling out of bed, however as it turned out even that was too much movement for her tender muscles. Huffing in frustration, she rubbed her eyes. Thank god no one was around to witness how she was about to embarrass herself.

Jaw set in determination, she turned her upper body just enough to grab the edge of the mattress with both hands and pulled her whole body towards it. Step one done, on to step two. Using her hands, she pushed herself upright, her legs sliding off the bed and feet dangling above the ground with minimum effort. Now, the final and most crucial step: pushing herself off with enough force to land on her feet and come to a stand.

It was almost humiliating how proud she was of herself when her little three step plan worked.

Now, standing in the middle of her bedroom, Yaz realised that this was unfortunately only the beginning of a very painful next few days and she was absolutely glad that she had already decided to let everyone else hit the gym on the weekend.

She just had to take everything one step at a time.

_ Ouch. _

\--

You[8:59am]: my lower back is killing me pls send help

Bill[10:47am]: enjoy the pain, u earned it

You[10:50am]: i hate u

Bill[10:51am]: and i hate that u got to work out and i didn’t xx 

\--

Come Monday morning, Yaz was up and ready to go as soon as her alarm went off. There was still a slight twinge in her lower back, but it was nothing that could keep her from getting in a good chest and triceps workout. 

(And hopefully seeing Jamie.)

While the weekend had indeed been a painful affair, she would still do everything just the same if she had the chance again, there was zero doubt about it. Her legs still protested the way down the stairs and she gripped the strap of her backpack a little tighter.

With public transport having been thinned out due to the pandemic, Yaz was forced to make her way to the gym on foot if she didn’t want to wait around for ages for the next connection. Luckily it didn’t bother her too much since the twenty-five minute walk was a good way to get the blood pumping through her legs and to get some thoughts sorted.

What did bother her, however, was that there were quite a bunch of people around the gym when she arrived, of which none turned out to be the blonde PT. So, either it would still take some time for her to come in (the three staff members on the early shift always arrived one after the other at three different times, she knew that much from Bill) or she was on the late shift. 

Clearly hoping for the first one, Yaz kept her eyes open between sets, always scanning the free weights area for an elusive and very fast mob of blond hair.

One and a half hours later, she made her way back to the changing room, massaging her sore arms one after the other and feeling just a tad disappointed. As she passed the large mirrors, she heaved a sigh and gave herself a stern look. There was no need to feel down about Jamie not being around, back before the lockdown and when she still had a job she had only been able to see her once or twice a week. So there was no reason to get hung up on this now.

Yet her heart still stung just as much as her pecs would do tomorrow.

\--

When the next day Jamie again wasn’t to be found, Yaz was sure she definitely was on the late shift this week. For a moment she even contemplated working out in the afternoon for a chance to see her - and talk to her if she felt daring -, but then the rational side of her brain took over and reminded her why the last time she had worked out later in the day had been over three years ago. 

People. So many people.

No, she would just have to tough this week out and hope for the next one. Maybe she’d even come up with a new conversation topic in the meantime, now wouldn’t that be something.

Heating pad on her thighs and a cuppa firmly in hand, Yaz sat at her desk and browsed through employment ads. The jobs she was qualified for were outright boring and the interesting ones were listing qualifications no one in the world even had. It was enough to drive her up the wall. 

The sound of the doorbell dragged her out of her budding pity party and she glared into the general direction of the door for good measure. She didn’t expect anybody, not even delivery service, so who dared to press that tiny button down at the front door?

When it rang again, she heaved herself up and buzzed the door open without asking. Probably just someone who needed to get to the mailboxes anyway. She hadn’t even sat down again before there was loud knocking at her door.

Groaning, Yaz made a quick check up on her outfit. Whoever that was would have to make do with her comfiest joggers and oversized sweater, she refused to feel self conscious about her choice of clothing today. Or any day, the world was sinking and time wasn’t real anyway.

Opening the door and taking in the person in front of her, Yaz blinked owlishly for a few seconds before she found her words again.

“What’re  _ you _ doing here?!”

Bill cranked an unimpressed eyebrow. “I told you I’d be coming over on Thursday, didn’t you think I was being serious? Also… rude?”

Usually she would have been not particularly happy about anyone showing up on her doorstep unannounced, in the middle of a pandemic no less, but Yaz was too happy to see her best friend in the flesh again to be anything but absolutely ecstatic. Finally, she allowed herself to hug Bill as tightly as she could.

“I thought you’d talk to me about it first, y’know.” 

“Careful or y’gonna break my back, Shehulk! An’ why would I ask you first? You ain’t got no job and you don’t need to make any arrangements, so why waste precious time planning when we could go to the gym instead?”, Bill grinned as she held up an almost bursting gym bag once Yaz had let go of her.

Shaking her head in fond exasperation, Yaz stepped aside to let her best friend in. Which she just about regretted when she heard Bill’s next words as she brushed past her.

“Man, I’m so excited to meet Jamie!”

_ Oh god, please no. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since there is so much things in here that actually happened, I'm thinking about quizzing you folks along the lines of "Which of the following did actually/not happen? Plotpoint 1, plotpoint 2, plotpoint 3".. it's so tempting 
> 
> Anyway, kudos, comments, and love in general are always appreciated and make me go :D :D :D


	2. that's what friends are for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something I found to be very uplifting is checking the statistics page on my dashboard. Cos sometimes you tend to wonder why something isn't really taking off, sometimes you still cling to the number of kudos or comments you get. ... and then I see how many ppl have not only subscribed to a story, but to me as an author as well and I feel a little bit better about everything :)
> 
> Have fun with Bill being a menace!

“S’it alright if I stay two nights, driving back on Thursday afternoon?”

Yaz leant in the kitchen doorway and crossed her arms in front of her as she watched Bill throw her bag into the corner and kick off her shoes as if she actually owned the place. “Oh, so now ya askin’?”

All it earned her was a low laugh. “Oh c’mon, I gave you the chance to refuse my stay,” then she noticed Yaz’s raised eyebrow and amended, “- technically.”

Rolling her eyes for good measure, Yaz headed into the kitchen and busied herself preparing two mugs of tea and a plate of sandwiches for the both of them. Turning around with a stern look, she pointed her butter knife at her friend who immediately raised her hands in mock surrender.

“Under one condition.”

Sitting down at the tiny two person table, Bill propped her elbows up and rested her head on her hands, regarding Yaz expectantly. “Now this gonna be good. Shoot.”

“Dinner tonight’s on you and y’gonna behave at the gym, no embarrassing yourself - and me in the process. Not a wrong word to Jamie, especially.”

“That’s actually like two an’ a half conditions.”

“Thin ice, mate. Wanna get tomorrow’s dinner too?”

Bill watched her eagerly as she put down the plate and the steaming mugs in front of her, instantly reaching for her share. “Nah, I’m good.”

Shaking her head and huffing a laugh, Yaz sat down as well, cradling her tea in her hands and soaking up its warmth. How she had missed their banter. Sure, they had that plenty over the phone or via text, but it wasn’t the same without seeing the familiar devilish glint in those dark eyes the very seconds the words were spoken. They really didn’t see each other often enough since she had left Bristol - and the pandemic certainly wasn’t helping.

On a whim, Yaz stretched out her sock clad foot and wriggled it between Bill’s thigh and the chair, leaving her leg in an awkward bend under the table. 

Clearly used to it, the other woman didn’t move a single muscle in her face as she commented, “Handsy. And here I was, thinking your heart belonged to Jamie and Jamie only.”

“Sometimes I regret telling you anything at all, ever”, she replied without any bite as she shoved her other foot under Bill’s thigh as well just for the sake of it, “Also, shouldn’t it be called ‘feetsy’ in this case?”

Bill just looked at her blankly, pressing her lips tightly together to keep herself from deeming her question with a reply. Instead, she patted Yaz’s shin and went back to finishing off her sandwich. Grinning innocently, Yaz took it as a victory.

They quietly enjoyed each other’s company, no words needed, just being in the same room as the other was enough for them at the moment. The comfortable silence was broken, however, as Bill swirled the last bit of her tea in her mug with a hum, implying the imminent continuation of their conversation. 

“So, I was thinking about going once in the morning and once in the evening, making my short stay count, y’know.”

Yaz almost dropped the last bite of her sarnie at that, staring at her disbelievingly across the table. Yes, she might’ve been a gym fanatic herself, but there was a method to her madness - a madness that knew lifting twice a day was a bit too much, especially when she was just getting back into it again.

PTs really were a different brand of lunatic.

Puffing out her cheeks, she admitted “I think that’s a bit much for me, to be honest.”

“Suit yourself”, Bill shrugged, not at all fazed by her gentle refusal, “then join me in the morning and I’ll go alone in the evening.”

Yaz opened her mouth to agree to her best friend’s plan, but then the nightmare scenario of Bill meeting Jamie completely unsupervised flashed before her eyes. 

“Nah, it’s fine, I’mma just do some cardio then.”

Grinning triumphantly, Bill shot her a look that told her she knew exactly what she had been thinking about.

“Atta girl.”

\----

The second they stepped out of Bill’s car, her heart started beating erratically. This was the moment she had been dreading for a long time: the inevitable meeting of her unpredictable best friend and her mysterious crush.

There were so many different scenarios of how this could pan out running through her head and keeping her heart in a vice-like grip, it was getting harder to breathe or think about anything else by the second.

Bill gently bumped her bag into her calf to get her attention. “Y’look like you’ve seen a ghost, mate. I ain’t gonna bite her head off.”

“Believe it or not, on the scale of how badly you meeting her could go this only makes a solid 7 out of 10.”

“Your level of trust in me is astounding”, the other woman replied flatly and slung her free arm over Yaz’s shoulder, squeezing lightly as she followed her anxious stare to the entrance. 

“Oh c’mon, you know how stressful it can be when you’re introducing your crush slash date slash new girlfriend to your closest friends. I mean…”, she started gesticulating wildly, almost hitting Bill in the jaw in the process, “What if just one of you instantly decides to despise the other? I’ll be caught in the crossfire forever!”

Merely raising an eyebrow as she dodged Yaz’s flailing limbs, Bill gave her shoulder one last squeeze before letting go again. “While I’m glad to hear some sort of optimism about getting the girl in the end in your words, how about worrying about that when you actually get there?”

Sharing one long last look with her best friend and heaving a sigh, Yaz turned to the entrance looming mere twenty metres away and squared her shoulders. The only way out was through, wasn’t it?

“Alright, let’s do this.”

\----

“I really don’t get it”, Yaz slammed the car door shut, giving Bill a helpless look over the centre console, “She should’ve been in, she definitely wasn’t on the early shift.”

Her friend was obviously a lot less bothered by Jamie’s absence - she had finally had a proper workout session after more than two months, Yaz could relate to that all-encompassing feeling of elation all too well.

“Ah well, maybe we just had some bad luck with the timing and she was in the staff room a lot or something. Better luck tomorrow.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Tho I’d really like to have this bandaid off, y’know.”

“Totally. But if it calms you down a bit, she seems nice from that picture.”

She couldn’t help but pull a face. “That pic is absolutely awful. God knows how old it is and her face doesn’t look like  _ that _ .”

In the front desk area of every TARDIS gym was a digital board installed, showing pictures of all the staff members as well as the schedule for the classes. And a little map of the UK showing where all the other TARDIS gyms were located, but that would probably be obsolete soon, considering how new ones seemed to pop up almost everywhere, even the most ridiculous places.

“So, I was thinking pizza for dinner.”

Yaz pinched the bridge of her nose. “Bill, you’ve just done an amazing workout after sitting on your ass for weeks and weeks and you wanna destroy that with  _ pizza _ ?”

“I’m not destroying anything, I’m celebrating.”

“Do I have to explain  _ to the PT _ how your body works?”

With single-minded determination, Bill entered the address of the pizza place closest to her home into her satnav. “Aw c’mon, live a little. We’ve just done our bodies something good, now we gotta do the same for our souls.”

She wasn’t completely sold on the idea, but keeping Bill from having her favourite dish wasn’t a battle worth fighting. For a moment she busied herself with watching the evening May sun reflecting off the gym’s windows. Then she remembered something.

“Talking about something good for our souls… I saw you talking to Mickey, do I wanna know or nah?”

“Tsk, I was actually asking about something that could be in your favour”, pulling the car out of the lot, she gave Yaz a moment to voice one of her usual protests. When nothing came, she continued, “I asked him if the staff is allowed into the course room when there are no classes. Got told he wasn’t sure himself, I should ask the gym head tomorrow. If I’m allowed to, I’ll totally go in there with you and do a round of zumba.”

Yaz immediately softened at that, her heart filling with warm affection for her best friend. Zumba had been their thing back in Bristol, it was the class that had brought them together in the first place. And while she had gotten used to the slightly different way the class was taught here in Sheffield, and had come to love that unique sense of chaos Jamie brought to it especially, nothing could replace having Bill on the stage in front of her.

There was a reason she always and without fail travelled all the way back to Bristol when there was a release special for a new choreography. 

Apparently all the emotions that Bill’s words had evoked were plain to see in her face when her friend glanced over at her, probably worried about her sudden silence, and she groaned good-naturedly.

“You’re looking like you’re about to jump at me over the centre console, you old sap.”

Immediately switching into banter-mode, Yaz put a hand to her chest in mock-offense. “You’re showing your once-in-a-blue-moon dose of thoughtfulness and kindness and you expect me to not act on it?”

“That’s exactly why I told you while driving”, Bill countered without taking her eyes off the road, indicating blindly as the satnav told her to turn at the next traffic light, “Cos I know you’re way too responsible to fling yourself at me in this vulnerable situation.”

Putting on an especially devilish grin, Yaz reached over and patted the hand on the gear shift. “You won’t be safe anymore once we’re out of the car.”

Mirroring her grin, Bill pressed the accelerator a bit harder. “I’m counting on it.”

\----

“So, what’s on your schedule for tomorrow?”

Watching Bill patting her now bulging belly, Yaz was painfully reminded of her own state of being, the fullness almost painful. Groaning felt like the only thing she could do right now, so having coherent thoughts was certainly off the table. She eyed the empty pizza boxes on the table warily.

“Wednesday is traditionally a rest day.”

“So? You wanna let me go alone?”

That brought some fire back into her. “As if! I’ll just keep on forming a strong bond with the ellipticals, I guess.”

A beat passed between them until Bill perked up again, the metaphorical light bulb almost visible above her head. 

“Which classes are scheduled for tomorrow morning?”

Making an undignified sound, Yaz reached for her phone on the table, squeezing her middle unpleasantly in the process - this definitely had been the last pizza for this month. Scrolling through the gym's app to get to the Wednesday schedule, another unpleasant feeling settled inside her when she finally found it. 

Knowing exactly what Bill was aiming at, she schooled her face to not give anything away and maybe save herself at the same time. 

“That back-focused one.”

“And the second one?”

Sensing her reluctance, Bill tried to grab the phone out of her hand to have a look herself, and she barely managed to keep her at arm's length with one hand. 

“No.”

Judging by the devilish glint in Bill’s eyes at her stern refusal, she was already planning on dragging her into that class no matter which one it actually was. 

"Y'know I can just quickly check myself, right?" 

There was a short stare-down between them as Yaz gripped her phone just a bit tighter, clinging into the false hope that her friend wasn’t actually one hundred percent right. She dared another look at the lit up screen, hoping that either she had just made a silly mistake the first time or that the words had changed since then. 

No such luck.

She sighed defeatedly. "It's Fat--" 

"We're going to _ Fatburn _ tomorrow!", Bill instantly interrupted her, fist pumping in the air and causing enough commotion to make the couch move beneath them.

However Yaz still wasn’t done fighting. 

“Y’can go all you want, I refuse!”

Resting both hands on Yaz’s arm, Bill looked at her theatrically, voice filled with gravitas. “But what if Jamie gives it? Will you really want me to be alone in a room with her for 45 minutes?”

“You won’t be alone, there are other people as well, y’know.”

“And when, Yasmin dearest, has that ever stopped me from doing something absolutely embarrassing? You’ve seen me up on stage, now imagine what I’m capable of on the other side when there are zero corporate restrictions.”

“You really wanna pull that card again? You wanna blackmail me like that forever now? Won’t that get old?”

“Only when I intend to go to your gym of course, duh. And since this won’t happen much in the future it probably won’t get old, sorry.”

Letting her head fall back onto the backrest, Yaz closed her eyes and wished she could just disappear and become one with her couch. There had been a time when she had gone to  _ Fatburn _ class every weekend, so she didn’t have a problem with the concept of the class at all, it was just that some time in the past six months it had stopped being actual fun for her. Sometimes your taste just changes with your exercise goals and workout schedule.

“I really hope for you that Jamie will in fact give the class, otherwise you’ll have to listen to my complaints for the rest of the day.” 

Grumbling her threat, Yaz cracked an eye open and admitted defeat, throwing her white flag (aka a used napkin) at the woman beside her and watching in amusement as it bounced off her chest the same time Bill gave an indignant shriek at the treatment. 

“Gross”, she looked at the paper ball coming to a standstill on the floor after a few pathetic wobbles, then she regarded Yaz with an innocent smile, “Thank God I don’t have to clean this up.”

\----

It wasn’t easy getting Bill out of bed the next morning, and for a moment Yaz felt optimistic that she could get out of the whole class deal if her friend kept slouching around like that, but just when it had gotten almost too late to get to class in time, the other woman remembered their plan and started getting ready in neck breaking speed.

Hope was such a fickle thing.

Scanning the gym for Jamie every step to the course room and not spotting her yet, Yaz held her breath when the two of them turned around the final corner before said room. Yet instead, but not exactly unexpectedly, she was faced with a different PT standing in the door like a bouncer.

Sighing, she leant closer to Bill, so nobody could hear her next words. “So, apparently Clara is giving the class and I definitely hate you.”

“Why, is she that bad?”, Bill quickly scanned her from top to bottom, “She’s cute, tho.”

“Oh no, she’s great, just don’t let that cute first impression fool you. She’s a powerhouse and chances are we might die. Also I told you I will complain the whole time when it’s not Jamie on stage, so here ya go.”

Before Bill could say anything more, they reached the door. Ushered in by a joyful Clara, they found their spots in two separate and taped off areas and got ready with varying levels of anticipation.

It turned out to be quite fun, actually, to have someone in the spot next to her to share occasional glances or grimaces with - Yaz never had any friends come with her to the gym - and she was happy with how everything just seemed to go its normal way. But two thirds in something just  _ had to _ happen.

Clara was one of the PTs who had the annoying habit of letting the attendees count down repetitions from time to time, and just as any other member Yaz was very reluctant to actively participate in it. Of course, being a class instructor herself, Bill had no such reservations and, after noticing the poor participation all around her, started shouting the numbers in a volume that startled everyone in her vicinity.

Gritting her teeth, Yaz felt the heat of embarrassment flood her face. So to the sound of the music and Clara laughing at her friend’s enthusiasm, she started plotting at least six ways to make Bill pay for that.

There wasn’t a single ounce of remorse in the other woman’s body when they left the course room together, sweaty as anything and still breathing heavily, either.

“Aw, Yazzie, don’t look at me like that! I know firsthand how shitty it is when no one’s shouting back at you, I couldn’t do nothing!”

“I know”, she whined knowing her friend had a point, “but I was hoping she wouldn’t do the stupid countdown and then… well,  _ you _ happened on top of it.”

Bill just laughed at her discomfort. “Y’should’ve seen your face, mate! You turned beet red in an instant, I didn’t even know you could do that!”

Yaz was just about to argue her point further, but then she spotted a certain trainer running around the floor when they came back down the stairs. If she slapped Bill’s arm a bit harder than necessary, it was merely on accident.

“Look, see that guy there? That’s Jack, he’s the head of the gym. You wanted to talk to him, right?”

“Oh, ace!”

And before she could do anything about it, the other woman had taken off after the poor man. Deciding on what was best for her, Yaz walked into the opposite direction and let things run their course far, far away from her.

\----

The seven hours between their first gym trip of the day and the second passed in a blur and, after receiving a detailed recount on Bill’s conversation with Jack (apparently he was quite a handful and no, the PTs were not allowed in the course room in the class-free periods), as well as flopping around on the couch and browsing through netflix, they somehow found themselves in the gym’s parking lot yet again.

“I’m gonna do some lifting, how ‘bout you?”

Yaz looked up the building thoughtfully. “I think I got enough cardio for today, I’ll try my luck and hope Jamie’s giving  _ Down To The Core _ . I’ll find you afterwards.” 

Bill wordlessly acknowledged her plan with a nod and they made their way in and up, throwing their bags into the lockers and heading separate ways once it was time for Yaz to go to the course room. 

She threw Bill a last look over her shoulder before she climbed the stairs. “And behave yourself, I wanna see you before I hear you for once.”

“Shut up and go get your girl or whatever you do when I’m not around!”

While she would’ve absolutely loved to ‘get her girl’, she was confronted with a different PT in the doorway just like this morning. At first she could only make out a ponytail of ginger hair, but when the woman turned around, she knew it was Amy.

“Hey!”, she was immediately greeted and gently steered into the room with her familiar Scottish accent, “Thank God someone’s coming, finally.”

Blinking for a moment, Yaz realised she was only the second attendee while there were merely five more minutes left until the beginning of the class. She knew people were still reluctant to join despite the approved safety measures, yet she had expected there to be way more people around on a Wednesday evening.

Two minutes before they were supposed to start, Amy made her way up on stage to put on the headset, and in a moment of boldness, Yaz piped up from her spot on the mat.

“I don’t think you’ll need that today.”

Surprised, but chuckling nonetheless, the PT looked from her to the whole room and then back again. “Probably not, four’s not much, but better safe than sorry.”

With the atmosphere being even more familial than normally, other members started engaging each other and Amy in conversations as well. By force of habit, Yaz listened more than she talked, picking up any kind of information she could get about the people around her, especially Amy.

She needed fodder for future conversations, after all. 

The class passed by quickly after that, her abs burning by the end of it, and making good of her new resolutions, Yaz used the first snippet of information she had gathered to wish the redhead a nice week off. 

At least with her she wouldn’t have to wonder where she was for the next few days in comparison to a certain blond PT that still seemed to be MIA.

\----

“How come I’ve been around you for more than 24 hours now and still haven’t heard you bitch and moan about your family?”

The question came out of nowhere and for two long seconds Yaz struggled to come up with a both adequate and honest answer, her spoon freezing in the air halfway to her mouth. A drop of curry broke free and fell back into the bowl with a splat, tiny red speckles now forming constellations on the white table top.

On autopilot, she used the sleeve of her sweater to wipe them away. For one it was black and for two it needed to be washed anyway, so why not.

“It’s a bit… difficult at the moment.”

“Cos of the virus?”

“Yeah”, she sighed, “Mum got chronic hypertension after working too long with that billionaire asshole for one of his hotels, so she’s officially a high-risk patient. Haven’t been around for two months now, can’t even meet up with Dad or Sonya either.”

“Shit, that sucks, mate.” Bill pulled a face, empathy practically pouring from her dark eyes.

Yaz just shrugged, the feeling of loneliness surging inside her everytime she thought about it was too familiar by now to actually bother her. “At first I was joking that I could finally find some peace with not being summoned for a visit almost every weekend, but by now…”

“You miss them.”

“Didn’t think I’d ever say that but yeah, I proper miss ‘em. Even Son.” Running her tongue over the front of her teeth, she pondered if she should say what else was on her mind.

She was well aware that it would worry Bill in all likelihood, and if there was something she didn’t want to do then it was just that, or rather being the cause of anyone’s worry in general. But then she looked at the woman opposite her, red droplets scattered around her bowl as well, and her big brown eyes already seeing right through her, and something inside Yaz’s chest hammered against her ribs, demanding to be let out.

Yaz wriggled her foot under Bill’s thigh.

“Calling, facetime- it somehow isn’t enough. Somehow it leaves me feeling lonelier than before more often than not. Especially when I know we’re all in the same city. Especially when I don’t have anyone else here because I somehow ended up with my friends being scattered all over the country.”

Against all expectations, Bill stayed silent, patiently waiting her out in case there was more she wanted to say. When she had finished off the last bit of her curry and Yaz still hadn’t said another word, she put her elbows on the table and steepled her fingers in front of her face, regarding her with a long look that seemed to reach right into Yaz’s heart.

It was unnerving to see that quiet and serious contemplation on her best friend’s face, especially when it was directed at herself.

“So that’s why you’ve gotten even more protective of the gym now it’s open again.”

There was nothing but sincere empathy and understanding in her words, and it rattled her composure harshly, making a lump form deep inside her throat. 

Breaking eye contact in an attempt to ease the tension she was feeling and moving her left foot to join the other under Bill’s thigh in its quest for comforting physical contact, Yaz watched the sun slowly descend behind the buildings through the window and mumbled weakly, “Thanks for getting it.”

A warm hand found hers over the table in the orange glow, squeezing tightly.

“Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of Jamie in this one, but she'll come around again soon :D
> 
> Let me know what you think, feedback is the food authors live off!


	3. calm and collected is for people without butterflies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told myself to get the next chapter out before Christmas and yaaaaay I managed :D

It was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster to say goodbye to Bill on Thursday evening, and if Yaz hugged her best friend a bit tighter than usual she was glad she didn’t say anything about it apart from the surprised gasp as Yaz squeezed the air out of her lungs. Closing the door behind her friend’s retreating form and facing the now empty flat on her own, she pressed her lips together tightly and willed the wetness pooling in her eyes away.

She really had to stop getting used to other people being around that quickly.

So it was back to business at usual, no biggie. She hadn’t even made it through the hallway before her phone buzzed in her pocket.

Bill[7:13pm]: I can hear u moping all the way down to the car   
Bill[7:13pm]: stop it

Smiling despite herself, she went to the window facing the street, watching her friend gracelessly chuck her bag into the trunk before typing out a quick reply.

You[7:15pm]: piss off potts n get outta my city

Glancing up from her phone, she saw Bill pulling out her own cell from her back pocket and rolling her eyes at the screen. Yaz’s grin only broadened further when she looked up to her window and flipped her the bird.

She was missing her already.

\----

Almost two weeks had passed since Bill’s visit and Yaz had finally managed to come up with a decent workout plan that left her just on the good side of feeling sore the first go around. Together with the adapted and reduced schedule for the classes, it was unsurprisingly easy to slip into a day to day rhythm that left her enough time to focus on the most pressing matter at hand: finding a job.

Which was a constant cycle of anxiety, self-doubt and frustration all in itself, and definitely something she dreaded to get home to every time she left the gym.

Another thing that played perfectly into her worries was that Jamie still hadn’t made any reappearances. With a pandemic still somewhat raging outside, Yaz had already come up with various scenarios and each one was stressing her out one way or another, one of the worst being of course that the PT had somehow managed to catch the virus.

So when the gym offered a yoga special for both days of the weekend, Yaz didn’t even hesitate to go. Maybe that would take her mind off things for a bit and give her something positive to focus on.

Rolled up yoga mat slung over her shoulder with an impromptu sling she had made out of spare shoelaces, she made her way into the course room and picked her new regular spot. Watching the stage lights mingle with the midday sun falling in through the almost completely shut blinds and creating strange patterns and shapes on the floor, Yaz was so entranced by the display that she almost didn’t notice when today’s class instructor took the stage.

But some people just tended to command your attention without trying, and she looked up once she caught the movement in her peripheral vision, looking directly into the eyes of no other than…

Amy.

While on the outside she cast the PT a small smile, Yaz rolled her eyes at herself internally. Of course she had hoped to miraculously find Jamie in front of her even though she had spent a good amount of time these past days trying to talk herself out of clinging to hope. 

(As it turned out, Yaz had a very strong grip.)

Standing up to get into mountain pose, she got ready for forty-five minutes of calmness and deep muscular strengthening under Amy’s capable instructions.

Going with the flow of the music and tranquil movements, she was proud that her mind had wandered only a handful of times in the end. Now, raising her arms over her head for one last proper stretch, Yaz made an effort to stall for time. It was the first time she had seen Amy around after their last conversation more than a week ago, and she was determined to make good on her plan of building up some sort of relationship with the personal trainers.

So, for all intents and purposes, she was aiming on being the last one in the room to get in a little chat with the redhead and rolled up her mat slower than was strictly necessary. And finally, after what felt like a short eternity, she noticed the last member make his way to the door.

Gathering every last bit of courage, Yaz clamped the mat under her arm and walked up to the stage as close as she dared to. Amy’s acknowledging smile put her immediately a bit more at ease and, returning it, she struck up conversation. “So, didja have a nice week off despite the shit weather?”

“Thanks for asking!”, the trainer grinned, “Yeah, the weather could’ve been way better, but it was alright still. Probably still better than if I had taken a drive home up North anyway.”

“I take it you’re refreshed after all those long,  _ long _ weeks of hard work now?”, she couldn’t help but tease.

“Oh stop it, perfect timing, I know”, Amy chuckled, “Tho Jamie timed her time off even better… three days in for work and then she’s gone for two weeks.”

Instantly, Yaz’s heartbeat picked up at least three paces at hearing the blonde’s name. That, and at the one last missing puzzle piece finally clicking into place. Schooling her features, she tried to comment on it as casually as she could while she couldn’t even hear the music over her rushing pulse at the same time.

“Ah, so that’s where she’s been. I was starting to worry, almost.” 

Well, that ‘almost’ certainly was a flat-out lie, but nobody but Bill would ever know about that. However the inquiring look the PT was shooting her made her wonder how much of her true intentions she failed to hide. 

“She’s gonna give the classes tomorrow.” It was stated absolutely matter-of-factly, there was no infliction whatsoever in Amy’s voice - and Yaz knew how to detect them thanks to her police training -, yet there was something akin to a mischievous glint in the PT’s hazel eyes that threw her for a loop.

Which probably led to her saying her thoughts out loud.

“You’re kinda tempting me to come in again tomorrow there.”

Apparently that had been the right thing to say as Amy’s face lit up right away and she started grinning like the cat that got the cream. “Yes, do that! Maybe ask her how her vacation was, she’d like that.”

That last comment left her reeling in a way that she couldn’t even remember how their conversation had come to a close, or when she had even walked out of the room. Staring into her open locker, Yaz was still stumped. If she didn’t know better - which she totally did - she would think Amy was trying to play wingwoman. But that was probably just wishful thinking on her part. 

Maybe a shower would clear her head. Again.

\----

You[1:01pm]: bill   
You[1:01pm]: BILL   
You[1:02pm]: BILL!!   
Bill[1:03pm]: fucking hell khan what   
You[1:03pm]: jamie will give the yoga special tmrw!! I’m gonna see her again!!   
You[1:06pm]: bill?   
Bill[1:10pm]: that’s what u woke me up for??   
You[1:10pm]: wake u up? it’s past 1!   
Bill[1:11pm]: on a saturday, let me live woman   
You[1:12pm]: tsk   
Bill[1:14pm]: but good for you, fucking finally

\----

Yaz was practically vibrating at the breakfast table. Afraid to run late - which she never did, she was perpetually early in contrast to Bill being perpetually late -, her eyes glanced to the clock above her kitchen door ever so often. For a moment she contemplated texting her best friend and vent her nervousness, but then she realised that if the other woman had still been asleep well past noon yesterday, the odds of her replying right now weren’t in her favour.

Putting her phone down again, she closed her eyes for a moment and let the breeze coming in from the window behind her rustle the baby hair around her ears. Summer truly was afoot now and it never failed to raise her spirits.

(That was until it would get  _ too hot _ and she started sweating buckets at 6 a.m. just by looking at a barbell - however this time she was actually looking forward to it.)

Despite her chair being not particularly comfy, she must’ve dozed off for a moment, since when she opened her eyes again, the big hand of the clock had moved considerably. Quickly shovelling in the last spoonfuls of her cereal, Yaz almost jumped out of her seat and grabbed her already packed gym bag. 

Yoga class wasn’t due to start for another two hours, but if she wanted to get in a good old cardio session beforehand, she needed to head out now. Already lost in thought as she was, she had to run up a flight of stairs again to grab her mat in the end.

She really hoped the combination of treadmill and the Black Mirror episode she still had to finish would keep her mind occupied long enough before she could make even more a fool of herself than she already did.

\----

Her heart was almost beating out of her chest when she approached the course room, only partly due to her session on the treadmill. A small queue had formed in front of the closed doors behind which the still ongoing class was just coming to an end. With enough distance to the woman in front of her, Yaz joined in waiting, her fingers toying with the sling of the mat for lack of better things to occupy herself with. 

And then she heard the familiar sound of the doors opening.

A bunch of sweaty and red-faced members came pouring out of the room and Yaz could hear the music being switched from upbeat to the quiet and ethereal sounds of the yoga playlist. It did exactly the opposite of calming her fluttering nerves, however.

The line started moving as people made their way in one after the other. Just as she came close enough to see whether Jamie was sitting on the rails in the entryway to greet everyone, a lanky figure dashed out of the room and past her, only a blur of blond hair and brightly coloured sports top. 

Well. Someone was definitely alive and well as ever, it seemed.

A broad grin already making her face hurt, Yaz shook her head at both Jamie and herself and made her way inside to occupy her new favourite spot. Having made her home for the moment on her mat, she used the mirrors on the wall opposite her to shoot furtive glances at the doors. Her unspoken prayers were answered when Jamie returned clad in a new, black top with more than five minutes to spare and made herself comfortable beside the doors to greet the new arrivals, her arms propped up on the metal rails leading up to the tripod turnstiles.

Maybe one day Yaz would be able to walk up to her without going into cardiac arrest by simply thinking about doing it, maybe. Today certainly wasn’t that day, but as the seconds passed by and the inevitable beginning of the class inched closer and closer, she finally plucked up her courage and made her way over.

Hopefully she didn’t appear as wobbly as her legs felt.

Trying to act as casual as she could, she copied Jamie’s pose and leant onto the metal bars as well. “Hey.”

Just like two weeks prior, the PT’s head whipped around to face her, hazel eyes glinting curiously before they crinkled around the edges with the grin that stayed hidden behind her dark blue face mask. “Hiya, what’s up?”

“That’s actually what _ I _ wanna know from  _ you _ . How was your vacation?”

For a split second the blonde’s brows furrowed in confusion, probably over how Yaz knew about it in the first place, and she worried that Jamie might think it unappropriate of her to even ask that, but then the deep frown line between her eyebrows (closer to the left one than the right, it was oddly adorable) smoothened out and her eyes twinkled again.

Huffing, the PT pushed herself off the railing and held onto it with both hands while her feet stayed firmly planted on the ground, swinging herself back and forth by the strength in her arms and shoulders. 

(Yaz tried  _ very hard _ not to stare at her bare arms as her biceps stretched and contracted rhythmically underneath the smooth skin. Safe to say, she failed.)

“Oh, it were fine, I guess”, Jamie’s voice catapulted her back into the conversation, “A bit all over the place - well, as much as you can be when you’re actually not supposed to move a lot around the country, let alone the globe - but I got to finally see some friends again. Even managed to get some stuff done I’d been postponing for like millenia now.”

Well, that didn’t exactly reveal a lot, but at least she had gotten her to talk. And watch her burn off some of her characteristic nervous energy as she kept on rocking back and forth, looking at Yaz expectantly now for any kind of reaction or conversational cue to bounce off on.

“Good to know. Y’had me worried a bit there, y’know”, she paused for a split second, wondering if she should really disclose everything. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. “I came up with like five different reasons for your disappearance and each one was worse than the other.”

Jamie pulled a face, the scrunch of her nose just visible over the rim of her mask. “An’ me simply having time off weren’t on that list?”

“It were, but it were by far the most boring one”, Yaz grinned in return, slowly but surely feeling more at ease with how their conversation was going. “I was actually a bit afraid that you saw what was going on here right after reopening and then decided ‘nope, fuck this, I’m outta here’. Or you caught the virus, that were a close second one.”

Something hard to read passed over Jamie’s face at that, and if Yaz had to guess - which she had to, in fact - she would think the other woman was pressing her lips together tightly. 

“Well, if I can speak completely candidly here”, the blonde sighed at last, her shoulders drooping slightly and her swaying almost coming to a standstill, “those first three days I really, really hated my job and everything around it. I was always so furious when I came back home after a shift… people not sticking to the rules, not listening, always talking back and becoming rude and angry. It were half a nightmare.”

In that moment, Yaz just wanted to whack every single person Jamie had had to deal with that first weekend over the head with a dumbbell of her choice. Stickler for rules like she was herself, she could imagine the PT’s frustration and anger all too well. Why were people just so dense?

All she could do was ro cast the woman opposite her a sympathetic frown. “Then the time off really came at just the right moment, didn’t it?”

“You can say that again”, Jamie’s previously closed off face opened up like a flower again and she subtly puffed out her chest. “I like to pride myself in having impeccable timing more often than not, and that just proved the point again.”

At the mention of time, Yaz looked up and checked the big clock on the wall. “And what does your impeccable sense of timing have to say about the beginning of the class?”

Immediately, the PT followed her line of vision, her eyes widening at the sight of the big hand dangerously close to moving to one minute past. “Oh sh--!”

A loud laugh wrecked through Yaz’s body as she watched Jamie flail and scramble through the metal bars to get the doors as fast as she could. “So much for that, eh?”

“That doesn’t count, you were distracting me!” The blonde pointed an accusatory finger at her when she returned, hastily making her way to the stage as Yaz herself strolled to her mat. 

It took a lot to not grin like a fool while Jamie jumped up onto the platform, flung her mask into a corner and put on the headset in a frenzy to lastly glance around the room apologetically - save for one half-hearted glare into Yaz’s direction.

“Hello and welcome to our special extracurricular yoga class, my name is Jamie and I will guide you through the poses and exercises today.”

And just like that, a switch flipped for both of them as the PT’s voice took on a soft and calm cadence that was so different from what Yaz was used to from other classes or regular conversation. Nevertheless, she let it wash over her and closed her eyes, a miniscule smile still clinging to her lips as they started with the usual breathing exercises.

Sun salutations, warrior poses, balance exercises and a bit of pilates later, she found herself flat on her back at last, eyes closed as Jamie talked them through the final minutes of relaxation. It was as simple as breathing for her to hone in on the PT’s distinctive voice and sink deeper into her mat as she spoke of travelling among stars and constellations so naturally Yaz knew it wasn’t scripted, and she felt close to drifting off completely when--

Somewhere outside, probably in the free weights area, someone dropped a heavy weight and left the whole floor rattling with the impact, the dull sound of it unmistakable over the soft melody of the music. Just as Yaz internally cussed out the dumbo who had been either unable to use the appropriate weight for himself - it was  _ always  _ a man, without fail - or thought throwing them around made him king of the gym, a soothing voice trickled through the speakers and right into her eardrums.

“Block out everything that’s bothering you, concentrate on my voice and nothing else.”

While it was as easy as anything for her to completely zone back in on Jamie, she still almost chuckled out loud at the terseness and subtle frustration about the interruption in the PT’s voice and the irony of it all. In the end she managed, however before she neared the line of dozing off again, Jamie already told them to start moving their body bit by bit and slowly return back into the present.

A few warm words later, the class was over and the hustle and bustle of people collecting their stuff and making to leave began, almost drowning out the still playing music.

Yaz looked around uncertainly for a moment. What was her plan of action now? She could do the same as with Amy yesterday and stall to maybe get another chat in, but wouldn’t that be a bit much since they had already talked and there hadn’t been any loose conversational threads she could pick up again? 

In the end, Jamie made the choice for her. Removing the headset and putting on her mask again, the blonde jumped off the stage and jogged over to the doors and began seeing the attendees off one after the other. Well, that was that. Still, that didn’t stop Yaz from stalling a bit so she could be one of the last ones to leave and subsequently maybe get a few more words in than a mere goodbye and see you soon.

She caught the PT’s eyes just as she slung her mat with enough force over her shoulder to whack it against the back of her head in the process and she tried her damndest to not appear too embarrassed about it. 

(Which didn’t mean she didn’t want the ground to swallow her whole right now.)

There was still a trace of unabashed amusement in Jamie’s hazel eyes when Yaz finally made her way through the turnstile. Thankfully, she refrained from saying anything about Yaz’s little mishap.

“See you around then, I guess.”

Now it was on Yaz to waggle her finger accusingly into the other woman’s direction, making her go cross eyed as she tried to look at the offending digit. “Definitely. And don’t you dare go missing unannounced again like that.”

“Can it be even considered going missing if it’s announced?”, the blonde put a finger to her fabric-covered cheek, tapping it in honest contemplation as she stared far off into the distance, undoubtedly merely for dramatics.

If she had been allowed to get close to the gym staff, Yaz would’ve shoved her. Yet since she wasn’t, she opted for an eye roll just as dramatic. 

“That’s not the point!”

“What’s the point then?”

“Um.” Now that was something she clearly hadn’t expected. Jamie was looking at her so earnestly, any little bit of the previous mirth gone from her irises, that Yaz was becoming more and more flustered by the second. She must’ve looked like a fool standing there and blinking owlishly, appearing for all the world as if her brain had just shut down. She had to come up with a reply, quickly.

“The point is that I’m going home now and I expect to see you around sometime next week when I’m in again.”

Jamie’s responding laugh scrunched up her whole face again and Yaz wanted nothing more than to trace the line between the blonde’s brows with her fingers. “I think that can be arranged.”

“Good.”

With a last glance and a wave over her shoulder, she walked away, hoping it looked as cool and collected as she had seen in movies, while internally she was almost exploding with nerves and butterflies (and  _ nervous butterflies _ \- those were the worst). 

Yaz left the gym feeling like she was floating on candy cotton clouds, and definitely not just because of the stretches still tingling deep inside her muscles. 

It probably should worry her a bit how she was feeling so animated and relaxed at the same time, and how it could all be traced back to one single person, but with the endorphins still chasing through her bloodstream and the warm midday sun shining onto her neck she simply didn’t have it in herself to care too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, I told ya Jamie would be back... and this is just the first taste of her chaotic self :D
> 
> Anyway, care to make me wiggle happily in my seat (or in my bed) by leaving me a comment?


	4. eyes on you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A writer is never late, nor are they early - they post precisely when they mean to.
> 
> That's all I'm saying.
> 
> Okay, jokes aside, now that I have finished writing 'Straight to my head', this fic will be my main focus (apart from those oneshots I've been working on for a month now ugh) so I hope I can pick up a regular posting schedule soon.
> 
>  **IMPORTANT NOTE:** what I hinted at in the notes of the first chapter is now happening, there is a little part from the smut oneshot in this chapter (as will be in the next), but those scenes are a bit refurbished/extended to fit the narrative, so don't skip them ;)

Eyeing the front desk warily, Yaz took a deep breath. 

She had a short and simple question, there was no need to be on edge like this, nobody would bite her head off. Well, hopefully. 

Unfortunately, no other than Donna, the deputy head of the gym, was currently manning the desk, and while she was absolutely sure the redhead was nice enough - the classes with her had been fun so far -, there was still a lingering aura of _‘cross me and I’ll kill you, mate’_ around the trainer that told Yaz to proceed with caution. Also, the jury was still out on whether only seeing half her face made her seem less or more terrifying.

However with it being this early in the day, there was no other staff member around to ask, so she was forced to bite the bullet if she didn’t want to stick around another thirty minutes until the next trainer appeared for their shift. 

Squaring her shoulders and putting on an unthreatening expression, just as she had learnt to back in the force when approaching potential suspects, Yaz walked up to the other woman.

“Hi, sorry, just got a quick question.”

“‘Course, shoot”, came the immediate reply and Yaz tried to not shrink away under Donna’s inquiring gaze and raised-eyebrow.

“A few weeks back, right after the re-opening, there was a barbell cushion in the free weights area, but I haven’t seen it for ages now so--”

A heavy groan interrupted her. “Oh yeah, we were all kinda puzzled where that’d actually come from. We’re not allowed to hand out any additional equipment at the mo’, cos… y’know, hygiene reasons.”

Having already assumed as much, Yaz nodded along. “Any idea how long it might take until you’re allowed to again? Like, an educated guess?”

The PT pulled a face, clearly not that enthusiastic about current regulations either. “Nope, sorry.”

“Alright, so I gotta buy one I guess”, Yaz sighed. Obviously she had hoped to avoid buying equipment for herself, it was additional stuff to carry around on her back after all, but if there was one thing she just couldn’t do, it was hip thrusts without a cushion. She‘d tried and the bruises were still refusing to fade.

“Probably better anyway, I mean”, Donna leaned in almost conspiratorially, “it’s not the most high-class stuff we got and by the frequency in which they’re used they end up all dense and flattened in no time anyway.”

Yaz had to admit, the other woman had a point there. Reluctantly nodding her assent, she shouldered her bag and said her goodbyes. With a sigh she realised the most fun part of her day was already over and done with at not even nine in the morning. So now on to less entertaining things: finding out how and where to get a barbell cushion and writing applications.

She just hoped it wouldn’t be one of those typical Mondays.

\-----

Yaz[9:32am]: guess what I did  
Bill[9:41am]: no way you didn’t  
Yaz[9:43am]: wait what I didn’t what now??  
Bill[9:43am]: talk to Jamie? got her number?? made out w her in the storage room???  
Yaz[9:45am]: no to all of that, unfortunately and painfully so  
Yaz[9:45am]: but I talked to Donna without losing a limb or anything  
Bill[9:46am]: wait who’s that again?  
Yaz[9:47am]: the deputy, the scary ginger one  
Bill[9:48am]: oh shit man that pic still haunts me  
Bill[9:48am]: congrats on keeping your head and pls don’t fall for her too now  
Bill[9:49am]: what did you even talk abt? u asked her for Jamie’s number?  
Yaz[9:50am]: I bloody hate you

\-----

When Donna headed straight for her after class the next morning, her index finger piercing through the air and pointing at her, leaving no doubt that she was absolutely and definitely coming for Yaz and Yaz only, all of Yaz’s instincts screamed at her to make a run for it. She didn’t know why, she was pretty sure she had done nothing wrong apart from pulling a face here and there during class, but having the terrifying deputy coming your way with eyes set in determination just put the fear of God into her.

“Hey, good to see you! There’s something I wanted to tell you.”

Taken aback by the calm and kind voice that stood in stark contrast to the set of her eyebrows, Yaz needed a moment to collect herself. “Um. Okay?”

“So”, the PT started, completely oblivious to Yaz’s hang up, “I talked to my team yesterday and we agreed that we could hand out one cushion. We put it in the lady gym - we can keep an eye on it there.”

It was ridiculous, really. Still, Yaz couldn’t help that warm feeling spreading from her chest all the way out into her (sore) limbs at the knowledge of them talking about the matter because of her and then Donna waiting to let her know specifically. She might’ve squeaked in delight and embarrassed herself if she hadn’t remembered something.

“I- oh, dammit”, she groaned, “After an unsuccessful scavenger hunt all over the city yesterday I ordered one online.” 

Thankfully the PT didn’t seem to the slightest bit upset and merely laughed. “Ah, alright, good for you! Tell me if it’s any good, will ya?”

“Of course I will. But thank you, still. I mean it.”

Sharing Yaz’s smile, Donna waved her off as if it was far from being a big deal - which it probably wasn’t for her - and put her mask on as she made her way out, leaving Yaz to collect her things in peace while her brain was still scrambling to catch up with what had just happened.

She hadn’t had planned to include the deputy into her little making friends scheme, but more often than not things turned out differently than anticipated. And sometimes in a good way.

\-----

Yaz[10:34am]: Donna’s on the fast track to becoming my new fave PT  
Bill[11:00am]: wtf  
Bill[11:00am]: first: r u really falling for her too now??  
Yaz[11:00am]: Bill no  
Bill[11:01am]: and second: I thought I was your fave PT?!  
Yaz[11:01am]: Bill can u just let me explain before you go off on unnecessary dramatics?  
Bill[11:01am]: the BETRAYAL  
Bill[11:01am]: what have you become, what has become of our friendship  
Bill[11:02am]: I don’t think I can ever look at you again  
Yaz[11:02am]: POTTS gdi

\-----

Yaz was almost finished with her stretching routine on one of the mats that were lined up against a wall right behind the spinning bikes on the lower level. Legs spread wide to the sides, she raised her left arm over her head and leaned to the right, pulling a face as she reached for her right foot. Holding onto her toes, she breathed out and tried to relax her body as best as she knew how to. 

She was definitely getting better at this, but the last centimetres always seemed to be unpleasant regardless.

Luckily, she chose the exact moment to crack her eyes open again. Her world might’ve been tilted by ninety degrees, however she could clearly make out Jamie heading up the stairs to the staff room. Since she had just come in to start her shift, the PT was still clad in everyday clothes, and Yaz greedily took in any detail about her outfit that she was quick enough to catch.

A pair of run down,greyed out converse stomped onto the stairs’ metal grating while a pair of clearly mismatched socks peeked out just over the rim. Her long and pale legs were contrasted by bright magenta shorts that probably caught the attention of everyone within a radius of fifty metres (and spanned over her thighs with every step she took but that was Yaz’s very personal observation), just to be put to shame by the almost neon turquoise t-shirt with a giant yellow smiley face on the front. If people’s eyes didn’t already hurt enough from the clash of colours, there was still the mustard coloured biking backpack slung over her shoulder and her helmet in all colours of the rainbow.

Once Jamie had disappeared out of sight, Yaz had to blink a few times and shake her head to clear her vision of whatever residual stains that attack on her retinas might have left. Letting go and righting herself up again, she rolled her shoulders back before a broad grin overtook her. Judging by how the PT already had her hair tied up and clipped back as much as possible, she was on class duty this morning. Not only that Yaz was extremely proud of herself for managing to notice this small detail despite the distracting whirlwind of colours, she was also excited by the prospect of having Jamie in front of her in twenty minutes.

After finishing her routine, switching out workout equipment in the locker room and a bit of freshening up later, Yaz was not only ready for half an hour of burning and complaining abs, but for facing her crush as well (as ready as she’d ever be, to be fair). A last quick check up in the mirror on her way out was almost reflex at this point.

Apparently she had dawdled a bit longer in the changing room than she had planned since the doors to the course room were propped wide open and a familiar figure was leaning in the doorway - this time with a more sensible choice of clothes, thankfully.

Channeling every ounce of self confidence, Yaz made her way over and tried to take Jamie in as inconspicuous as possible. The visual cacophony of colours had given way to simple black leggings and a dark grey sports top, a neon yellow sports bra just poking out here and there, however still catching the eye due to it’s shrillness.

And Yaz would’ve started committing everything down to that one strand falling out of her miniscule ponytail to a perfect memory if the PT hadn’t looked her way just then. Feeling absolutely caught in the act, a heat wave rivalling the sweltering early summer air washed over her. So much for all that self confidence.

Still, she was determined to not make a fool out of herself this time.

Taking those last steps towards the door, Yaz was dead set on ignoring how warm her face felt and how her heart was beating twice as fast. She had taken on far more daunting situations and people during her time with the police, she could manage saying hi to Jamie.

So that was exactly what she did. 

Just like that Yaz had passed her by in the doorway, cast her an easy smile and cheery hello and she was in. It felt a bit like when you finally did a task that you had procrastinated doing for ages and then only needed two minutes to actually do it. Absolutely anticlimactic.

Smile still lingering on her lips - but not without rolling her eyes at herself - , she strolled into the room, putting down all her stuff on the designated spot to then unroll her mat right on top of the sticker on the floor. Feeling emboldened by Sunday’s events, it only took her half a minute this time around until she had worked up the courage to head back to the entrance where Jamie was still lounging in her usual position halfway draped over the rails.

Leaning against the railing beside her the same way like last time, Yaz decided to forgo the boring niceties of small talk and dive right in where they had left off after Yoga class. Giving Jamie a lopsided grin, she teased “Glad you heeded my warning.”

“As if”, the blonde merely laughed, catching on right away, “If I didn’t know better I’d say you bribed Donna to put me on the morning rota this week.”

“Be careful, you’re giving me ideas.”

The glint in her eyes told Yaz that she was in for an expert rebuke, however it never got the chance to see the light of day as one of the service staff turned up and engaged Jamie into an important work conversation.

(Of course she listened attentively, she was standing right beside them after all.)

When the conversation shifted to the setup of the course room, Yaz realised that she had failed to notice some obvious changes: the tape on the floor indicating the areas members could move in during class as well as the pre set up equipment in those areas had completely disappeared some time between the Yoga class and today.

Nobody in their right might could’ve missed that and Yaz was nothing but ashamed of herself for being utterly blind.

Completely taken in by her own obliviousness, any filter between her brain and mouth stopped working, and the words slipped out before she had even the chance to process her thoughts.

“Oh shit, I didn’t even notice that.”

Two sets of eyes latched onto her immediately, and Jamie even stopped her flailing arms mid motion. Yaz could hear the metaphorical chirping of crickets and imaginary tumbleweed rolling by and if she hadn’t been embarrassed before, the way the blonde arched an incredulous eyebrow definitely would’ve done the rest. 

Yaz had no doubt about there being a broad grin under her mask when Jamie commented drily “So this is how you look at the world around you?” 

_Well, my eyes just were on something else when I came in._

For a second, Yaz held her breath, hoping and praying that she hadn’t said that thought out loud. Judging by the way the other woman was still looking at her as if she was waiting for a reaction to her words, that brain-mouth-filter had kicked back in again just in time. Buying herself time to come up with any kind of response, Yaz waved her hand dismissively.

In the end, she settled on mumbling, “I were a bit distracted, so sue me.” While the words were true enough, they still sounded weak in her ears.

Hazel eyes regarded her for a moment that felt way too long for Yaz’s liking. It almost seemed like Jamie was searching for something in her face, however before she could find out if the blonde had succeeded, the intensity of the moment was broken. A smile crinkled the corners of Jamie’s eyes and she wiggled her finger at her.

“No suing this time, but maybe the next. As long as you keep your focus during class y’should be fine, though.” 

Yaz rolled her eyes at her antics, yet she could undoubtedly feel the onset of a grin tugging at the corners of her own lips. “I think I can just about manage that, thanks.”

“Good, I’ll keep an eye on you.” There was a strange glint in her eyes, one that Yaz hadn’t seen before, and it managed to completely derail her thoughts for a bit. She was however saved by the bell when Jamie clapped her hands together and swung herself over the metal railing in an unexpectedly graceful movement. “Alright, chop chop, let’s get a shift on!”

Maybe it was just her overactive imagination being egged on by the blonde’s previous statement, but Yaz definitely had the feeling that Jamie’s eyes were cast in her general direction more than usual. Which would’ve been fine on a normal day to a certain extent, however the PT seemed to have chosen the most excruciating combinations of exercises which led to Yaz feeling like dying already halfway through class. 

Just barely keeping herself from landing face first on the mat after the final ninety seconds of planking, she allowed herself a short moment of reprieve as the exhausted moans and groans of the other members filled her ears over the music. At least she wasn’t the only one suffering.

Yet one person in the room was decidedly not suffering apart from maybe a severe case of smugness. Up on stage, Jamie was sitting cross legged on her mat, grinning down on her creation of red-faced attendees like a queen surveying her kingdom.

“C’mon folks, just a tiny bit of stretching an’ then you’re free to cuss me out however y’like.” Raising her arms over her head, she scrunched up her face with an afterthought. “Preferably out of my earshot, though. There’s only so much I can take.”

Determined to ignore how those last words especially stirred something in the back of her mind and subsequently in other parts of her body, Yaz heaved herself into position and let the last remaining moments of the class wash over her.

Groaning low in her throat as she rolled her shoulders back, she watched as everyone else scurried off to the exit the second Jamie officially finished and sent them off with an unwavering smile. That suited her just fine.

Walking up and planting her feet in front of the stage, she tried to project as much confidence as possible while she held all her stuff close.

Only once Jamie had turned to face her, Yaz raised a challenging eyebrow. “Was that focused enough for you?”

The PT cast her a broad smile down from where she was cleaning up the stage. “Yep, y’were doing great! I’m proper impressed.”

A scorching heat shot up Yaz’s face at the praise. Of course that was exactly what she had wanted to hear, but somehow she was still a bit overwhelmed by Jamie’s words. Unable to accept them however, she waved her off, hoping that it wasn’t that obvious how her eyes refused to meet the PT’s face. “Oh um. Thanks. You’ve been not making it easy.”

“Good, that were my nefarious plan after all.”

Looking at how Jamie was standing there just a tad forlorn with disinfectant and paper towel in hand, her ponytail barely deserving the name anymore and the top of her cheeks still red from planking, Yaz found it very hard to believe that this woman even knew how to spell nefarious, let alone act like it.

(Yep, she was a total goner, but what else was new.)

Once Yaz’s responding chuckle had subsided, an awkward silence filled the air between them, neither of them knowing how to proceed now. Sighing internally, she realised she should probably let the PT to finish her work, but Jamie beat her to the punch.

Eyes flitting between the clock, the doors, and Yaz, she gave a tight lipped smile. “So, see ya tomorrow, I guess.”

“Nah, tomorrow’s rest day”, Yaz responded instantly, hoping that her disappointment wouldn’t show too much. 

She already felt sad about missing out on a chance to talk to Jamie again, but a workout schedule was a workout schedule. Of course it was absolutely tempting to come in again knowing that she would see her in all likelihood then, but she definitely had to draw the line somewhere before this crush could rob her of her last shreds of agency.

The blonde scrunched up her face in confusion. “No, tomorrow’s Thursday.”

Yaz looked at the other woman for a long second. It was hard to keep her composure when the blonde was being almost obnoxiously adorable in her bewilderment. When the penny still wouldn’t drop a few seconds into their staring match, she replied slowly “No, it’s my _rest_ day tomorrow.”

“Oh”, it was almost visible in those hazel eyes when the lightbulb finally went on for her and she realised that she had misheard, “Oh yeah, ‘f course.”

Pressing her lips tightly together, Yaz barely managed to keep herself from cooing at the embarrassed look on the PT’s face. Shaking her head with a grin, she made for the door.

“See you around!”

“Yeah, laters!”

Yaz was almost at the door when she heard an annoyed and mumbled “yeah, not doing that again, sticking with Bye,” from behind her.

No, she would not giggle, or chuckle, or anything now, she’d just walk out like a normal person and pretend she hadn’t heard that - for both of their sakes.

(There were some very strange and worried glances thrown her way when she entered the changing room on the verge of laughter.)

\----

The clock had barely made it past seven and Yaz was wide awake, tossing and turning under the covers as birds chirped obnoxiously outside her bedroom window. The sun was already high up in the sky, but thankfully not strong enough yet for its rays to truly burn. She always had trouble sleeping in during summer.

Kicking the duvet half off herself and starfishing, she stared at the white ceiling and watched the one beam of sunlight filtering in through the drawn curtains getting distorted by tree branches moving with the breeze ever so often. Her tank top had ridden up at some point and was now exposing her stomach to the slowly heating up air, but she couldn’t be bothered to pull it back down. What was bothering was that no matter how much she let her thoughts wander or tried to keep them purposefully blank, her eyes just wouldn’t droop. 

Giving up for good, she reached for her phone on the bedside table. 

Half seven. Jamie would start her shift in half an hour. So was she having breakfast now or was she already on the way to work? Yaz had no idea where she actually lived, she realised.

Groaning, she dropped the phone onto the mattress and covered her face with both hands.

This was getting more ridiculous by the minute. 

But now that she had opened that particular can of worms, the thoughts and images just wouldn’t stop. Like a movie, she replayed her last interactions with Jamie (and those before once she had finished cataloguing every last twitch of eyebrows and every bemused grin). She smiled about the jokes the blonde had cracked during class, pictured the way her biceps had popped during certain movements, saw her hands gesticulating wildly or picking up the mini dumbbells, and her eyes. There were always those hazel eyes glinting at her like they held the secrets to the universe.

The longer Yaz’s thoughts twisted and danced back and forth like this, the more restless she became. An all too familiar feeling began taking shape in the depths of her stomach, buzzing and pivoting, sending little shocks through all parts of her body. And one part in particular.

Without really thinking about it - her conscious thoughts were still busy with something else -, her right hand had started a journey of its own, slowly gliding down from her chest to the soft skin over her abs, nudging against the waistband of her boxers.

Maybe she could… No, no, she definitely could _not_. This was a line Yaz had yet to cross and she was determined to keep it that way. For all intents and purposes, she still wanted to be able to look Jamie in the eye the next time she saw her, thank you very much.

She whipped her hand away as if she’d been burnt, covering her face again.

It was no use, she had to get up and busy herself with something, anything that would keep her from grabbing her bag on a whim and heading to the gym. Rolling over, she buried her face in the pillow for a second, letting it absorb her long suffering groan. She _so_ needed a job.

Finally untangling herself from her blanket, she sat on the edge of the bed, slightly unsure what to do first. Caving in and unlocking her phone at last, she found a new text from her mother she hadn’t noticed before, asking her to call when she was awake since they apparently had great news they wanted to share.

Well, this might just do.

With muscles sore in just the right places, Yaz got up and switched on the coffee maker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I miss the gym and I miss talking to Gym Crush and Deputy :(


	5. you can't always get what you want

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have good news and not so good news (maybe, depends on make you make of it I guess)
> 
>  **Good** : There is a schedule now! For now, as long as [straight to my head](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26065519/chapters/63393634) is still running, there'll be fortnightly Monday updates for this baby here! Okay not immediately.. the next chapter will be in 3 weeks (8/3), and then will start with every 2 weeks, promise!
> 
>  **Not-so-good** : I'll probably start a job again in March and I'm guessing this will wreck with my writing efforts, BUT I'm already well ahead with chapters so I hope this won't interfere too much
> 
> Apart from that: here is another rewritten scene (the last one) from the gym smut, with more what actually happened that fateful day in the changing room

Two weeks had passed since Yaz had last heard from her parents that one morning.

As it turned out, their important news had been that Sonya had managed to get a job now that the stores had opened back up after lockdown, and to this day Yaz still wasn’t sure whether she should take that as a dig at her own situation or not. 

Nevertheless, it had felt good to hear her mum’s voice - and her dad’s in the background.. It had definitely been unexpected when her mother had suggested that maybe next time they talked they could make out a date for Yaz to come over for dinner if the infection numbers kept dwindling like they were currently doing. 

Of course, Yaz was still a bit unsure and worried about possibly putting her mother’s health at risk like that, but there was no denying how her heart soared everytime she thought about seeing her family in the flesh again (even though she knew Sonya would make it her goal to rub that new job in her face for the whole evening). 

But the conflicting thoughts waging their battle within her about that particular happenstance weren’t important right now.

What _was_ important now was that the regulations for the gyms had changed again - something they seemed to do at least once a week and it was becoming hard to keep up. Bill had texted her excitedly that a bunch of classes would make their return come next week. However, she had refused to tell her which ones exactly, since she officially wasn’t allowed to tell a soul, much to Yaz’s annoyance.

This was the exact reason Yaz found herself walking up to Donna before yet another sixpack class, hoping that maybe she, as the gym’s deputy, could and would tell her more. 

By now the initial apprehension when it came to the older woman had almost faded completely and they had slipped into an amicable back and forth over the course of two weeks after Yaz had presented her with her brand new, fire engine red barbell cushion. 

(Due to talking to Donna every time they crossed paths, Yaz had inevitably ended up in conversation with Jack, the actual head of the gym, once or twice as well - and Bill had been right, he _definitely_ was a handful.)

“So, Donna, I heard a rumour…” Grinning conspiratorially, Yaz sidled up to the ginger woman standing in the entryway of the course room, one foot propped up on the lower rail.

Raising an eyebrow, the PT matched her grin. “Oh, did you now. What is- wait a sec, turn around.”

Baffled by the random request, she turned her back to Donna and cast her a questioning look over her shoulder, waiting for the other woman to tell her what was wrong. She was met with pinched eyebrows for a second before she was signalled to turn back again. 

“For a second it seemed like your hair was shorter- you didn’t get it cut tho, did you?”

“Um”, without thinking Yaz grabbed one of her boxer braids and held it up to inspect it. Which was a silly thing to do since she absolutely knew that her hair was the same length as always. She shrugged. “Maybe it’s the braiding that makes it look shorter?”

“Yeah, maybe. Your hair is so nice, would be a shame to have it cut.”

A blush crept up her cheeks, but Yaz didn’t really pay it any mind. By now she was more than used to continuously running around with a red face in the gym, being it from working out or talking to a trainer (it was just so _unfair_ how almost everyone of the staff was kinda hot in their own way, there was only so much her poor bi heart could take). 

If only she would get compliments like that from Jamie.

She was just about to stutter out something, but the redhead thankfully picked up right where they had left off. “So, a rumour. I’m all ears.”

Yes, that. That was something she could deal with. “Yes, big, great, and super secretive rumour,” Yaz started, “I heard some classes will make their return next week. Do you by any chance have an idea which ones that’ll be?”

“Interesting. Maybe I do.” Donna tapped her jaw repeatedly with her index finger and pretended to think hard, clearly playing along.

Well, two could play that game, “So if, and that is just an _if_ , if you maybe knew about that, which do you reckon that might be?”

“I’d make an educated guess - just a guess, of course - that it might be step aerobic and yoga. But just maybe.”

A triumphant grin stretched over Yaz’s face and she just about managed to not fist pump the air. From the ten classes the gym offered, she attended four regularly - of which two were finally making their comeback. Now only zumba, her absolute favourite, was still missing (together with two others but she didn’t care for them). 

At Yaz’s barely contained happiness about the news, the deputy began smiling as well. “Not gonna lie, I love seeing people being enthusiastic about things we do.”

“Oh, you can definitely count on me being happy about every slight change that gets things back to normal. Although, the sudden changes in the schedule every week are a bit… annoying. I mean, not the changes themselves but how they come out of nowhere and make it hard to plan things,” she dared to speak candidly. 

“Believe me, it’s annoying for us as well,” Donna scoffed, “And I really don’t get why the higher-ups don’t want us to tell the members as soon as we know.”

Kissing her teeth, Yaz nodded sagely. She knew the strange ways in which superiors acted more often than not all too well. 

\-----

It was going to be an odd day, Yaz could tell the second her feet touched the cool bedroom floor. Nothing was out of the ordinary (birds were chirping, the sun had risen, the amount of news about impending doom on the internet was as usual), she didn't wear her clothes inside out, and the gym was still where it had been two days prior, but… something was _different_. 

And then, just as she was fighting through the last squat reps, she caught that mysterious something - or rather someone - out of the corner of her eye and almost lost her balance. 

It couldn't be. What were the odds? 

However her suspicions remained unconfirmed for the rest of her workout, the seemingly new addition to the staff had apparently fallen off the face of the Earth. 

Until she headed out to leave. 

Standing at the front desk was the person that had almost made her make a fool of herself in the middle of the free weights area (and for once it wasn’t Jamie). Right there in front of Yaz, clad in a dark blue uniform was someone she hadn't seen since she had left Sheffield seven years ago. 

Once they had their back turned to her, Yaz skidded up to the counter and propped her elbows up, halfway leaning over it. "Hello Ry, come here often?" 

The flinch that went through him due to getting caught by surprise put a smug grin to her face, which only grew when he faced her and his eyes grew even wider. 

“Yaz! No way!”

“Yes way, I could say the same to you!” She laughed. “Ya getting paid to lurk in my gym now?”

“Yep, me nan and her husband are members here, so she suggested I could earn some money to cover the tuition fees- I’m a proper student now, can you imagine? Aerospace engineering!” Ryan proudly puffed out his chest, his name badge catching the light and glinting.

She gaped for a second. “Oh my God, that’s amazing! I’m so happy for you! But hold up there for a sec, your nan married again? I wasn’t even gone for five years, is there anything else I missed?”

“Nah, I don’t think. At least not from my side.”

“Good, I don’t think I could take more big news right now. So, what’s it you’re doing here now? Do you give classes or…” Yaz pushed up on her toes to lean further over the counter, squinting and trying to get a better read on the additional words on his badge.

Instead of replying, Ryan took one step closer to make it easier for her. So her friend was part of the service staff, she read. When she looked at him questioningly, he merely shrugged.

“Woulda loved to do actual PT work, but… y’know.”

It took a second for her to remember what her friend was hinting at. The realisation came accompanied with a sympathetic frown. “Yeah… gotten better on the dyspraxia front, though?”

“Slightly, bu’ work in progress for forever, I guess.”

She could do nothing but nod. Yaz herself had no experience with any sort of disabilities, but she had seen Ryan struggle with things since they were children, so she remembered all too vividly how bad and frustrating things had been for him. 

After such a long time without seeing each other, the topic drove a wedge of awkward silence between them, as everything else that went too far beyond the surface of niceties would’ve done right then. Yet with knowing each other for twenty years came also an inherent understanding about how and when to talk about things, luckily.

Breaking the quiet stalemate, she cast him a genuine smile. “I guess we’ll see a lot more of each other now.”

“And here I were hoping to actually enjoy work,” Ryan groaned and rolled his eyes at her, picking up on the banter right away.

“No such luck when you decide to come to my gym.”

“Oh, it’s _your_ gym now? Does Jack know that?”

“Not yet, I like to let him believe he runs the place for the time being.”

“Can't wait to hear your grand scheme for this place over some chips."

"You should be so lucky", she teased, "but the chips part we should definitely do. That catch up has been almost two years overdue."

"You got it, Khan. And now sod off before I get fired right away for spending my time chatting away."

Sure to match the grin that was undoubtedly hiding under his mask, Yaz waved her old friend off, leaving the gym with a pleasant buzz rushing through her veins. 

Sometimes, an odd day didn't have to be necessarily a bad thing. 

\-----

“Yaz, mate, my bestest mate to ever mat- no, that sounds weird.”

“Every single word you just said sounded weird, what’re you on about? What did you do? Do I need to worry?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Bill huffed down the line. A beat. “Yet.”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Yaz put her legs on the desk and settled into a comfortable position. Something told her that this might be a long phone call. “Do I need to get something stronger than tea for this?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but the only thing stronger you have is coffee and that doesn’t count. Also: I hope not.”

Rolling her eyes, Yaz started tapping out an impatient rhythm on the tabletop. “Spill it, Potts, I don’t have all day.”

“Considering you’re already through with your workout, you _do have_ in fact all day.”

“Rude. But speaking of which, I definitely gotta tell you something once we’re through with whatever you cooked up this time.”

“Great. Okay, so…” The other woman started and then… nothing. Furrowing her brows, Yaz pulled her phone away from her ear to check if the call was still connected. 

“Yes? You’re really making me worry here, Bill.”

The other woman groaned. “Alright, okay, sorry. It’s just… there’s- there’s this girl--” She didn’t get any farther than that as Yaz almost jumped out of her seat and hooted in glee.

“No fucking way! Bill! Don’t tell me you’ve got a crush now, too!”

There was a heavy silence that gave Yaz ample time to picture how utterly unimpressed with everything her best friend must be looking at that moment. It was a great mental image, and if she was already gearing up for giving Bill _‘I don’t get romantically attached, ew that’s gross’_ Potts just the right amount of shit about it… well.

“I will neither confirm nor deny anything at this point, especially since you feel the need to be so obnoxious about it,” came the disgruntled reply.

“Have I ever told you about Karma? She’s one of me oldest mates.” Somehow her tea was tasting even more delicious than it did five minutes ago.

“Har har, funny.”

“I’d like to think so.” Biting her lip and subduing the massive grin she was sporting, Yaz concentrated very hard on schooling her features again, trying to treat the issue at hand with serious care. “Okay, so, tell me about this girl, do I need to be jealous?” One last quip had to be allowed, right?

“Only if you promise you’re done with stupid comments. And you don’ need to be jealous, nobody’ll ever come close to your stupid ass. There’s a whole butt-shaped corner in my black and brittle heart with your name on it.”

“Love you too, dickhead,” Yaz huffed, rubbing the spot right between her brows with two fingers. There was a headache coming, she just knew it. “And I promise. Tho I claim the right to rib you in the long run just as much as you do to me when it comes to Jamie.”

“Fair. So, she’s new at the gym, or at least I haven’t seen her before, and--”

“Ooooh, a member!”

“ _Yaz_.”

Instantly, she clasped a hand over her mouth, mumbling through her fingers apologetically, “Sorry. Please continue.”

Bill audibly took a deep breath, clearly conveying her exasperation. “She’s new, her name’s Heather, has been coming in every other day for the past two weeks, and she’s as cute as a button. That’s basically all you need to know so far.”

“So you talked to her?”

“Well… no.” The words sounded uncharacteristically sheepish and Yaz almost cooed at her friend. She had never once seen Bill that wound up about another person - safe to say, she was delighted.

But there was something else that didn’t add up. “How do you know her name then?”

The reply was so quiet and hesitant, Yaz had to up her phone’s volume to catch anything. “I might’ve looked her up in the system.”

Ah, there it was.

“Bill, you sly dog! Stalking members now, are we?”

“Oh, c’mon! If we weren’t required to wear our badges and introduce ourselves every class you still wouldn’t know Jamie’s name either!”

 _Touché._ “That’s beside the point.”

“Is it really, tho?”

“Anyways…” Yaz pointedly diverted the focus away from herself and back to Bill. “What’re your intentions with her now?”

“I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to anything happening, y’know. I just need to find a reason to talk to her and then I’ll go from there.”

Humming, she nodded along despite Bill not being able to see. “Solid approach, if I say so myself.”

“Go faster than you anyway, probably.”

“Oh, shove it!”

"So, what's it y'wanna tell me?" 

Accepting that the topic of gym crushes was through for the day, Yaz dove right into what she had been dying to tell her the whole day. "You have no idea who just started working at the gym!" 

\-----

Huffing and puffing, Yaz tried to dry herself off but the sweat just kept on pooling and running down her temples and neck, not to mention practically every other body part as well. July had just begun and the heat was reaching unbearable heights at eight in the morning already. The fact that the air in the gym failed to cool down over night despite the A/C working on overdrive didn’t help the slightest, either.

Under daunting conditions like these, workouts tended to be a drag for multiple reasons, but at long last she came to the end of her session without any mishaps or embarrassing moments despite walking past Jamie a few times and sharing acknowledging glances and smiles. 

They hadn’t seen much of each other the past weeks with the PT being predominantly on the late shift and Yaz only being around in the evening for classes once a week with the current schedule, so, in Yaz’s opinion, any kind of conversation was long overdue. Especially since just yesterday Donna had shoved a paper with the new class schedule (which was actually the old pre-pandemic one) into her face when they were talking at the front desk, and Yaz had made an absolutely embarrassing overexcited noise when she noticed that zumba was coming back next week.

(If anybody asked she would deny even being capable of hitting the note that erupted from her throat.)

And with zumba class returning, she _definitely_ needed to talk to Jamie.

So right now, as she glanced at her watch, she just hoped that the blonde wasn’t on class duty this morning, counting on getting a hold on her between her shower and leaving.

Speaking of showering, only a few things beat the feeling of hot water washing away the grime and sweat after a good and successful workout session. Unfortunately, summer’s humidity tended to be especially nasty in changing rooms, so she could feel her skin getting clammy again mere seconds after drying herself off. It was a nightmare.

Halfway used to it but not annoyed any less for it, Yaz grabbed her belongings and made her way to the dressing tables in her shorts and bra. The less she wore, the less she’d sweat while getting ready. It was bad enough already that her twenty minute walk home barely offered any shade at this time of day.

Next to the mirror, the cleaning checklist was pinned to the wall and she dared an inconspicuous glance at it. Usually, the changing rooms got cleaned up by one of the staff members during her own workout time, but this morning no signature was to be found. With only Jamie being around the majority of the morning as far as Yaz could tell, it would’ve been her task to do a quick cleaning round, but apparently she’d either forgotten or hadn’t found the time between re-stacking weights and glaring at members that still didn’t know the rules.

Her hair a wet mess on her head, tangled strands falling and curling falling halfway down her back and stray droplets falling onto her bare skin, Yaz rummaged through her backpack for everything she needed to get ready. Brush, tail comb, face lotion, mascara, check. She’d just finished parting her hair when Jamie darted - there was always so much energy in this little body, it was a marvel - around the corner armed with a cloth and spray bottle. 

Yaz would’ve expected almost anything but the loud and cheerful, “Heeeeeeey!” Jamie gave her when she immediately spotted her, and barely kept the brush from slipping out of her hand at the little shock.

The blonde didn’t even give her a chance to properly react and just went on, “Finished for today, then?”

In the almost two months since the gym had opened up again and she had started talking to the blonde on a regular basis, never once had the other woman come up to her and started a conversation, that had always been Yaz’s job. So to say she was utterly baffled and a bit overwhelmed right now might’ve been an understatement.

Looking at Jamie through the reflection in the mirror as she cleaned the benches behind her, Yaz tried to keep her wits about her. So, the first time her gym crush actually and voluntarily struck up a conversation with her and she was standing there in her bra. What was she supposed to make of that?

(Probably nothing, but a girl could dream.)

Shaking herself out of it, she realised she still owed the PT some sort of reply to her question. 

“Yep, best workout of the week, too, I’d reckon,” she managed to get out at last, with surprising strength in her voice even. 

The blonde looked up from her task, eyebrows knitted in confusion. “The first?”

Again, Yaz had to wonder whether she wasn’t speaking clearly enough or Jamie was elsewhere with her head (as usual). Probably the latter, given how chaotic she could be in class. It felt like the ‘rest day’ versus ‘Thursday’ conversation all over again.

“No, _best,_ all the others weren’t that satisfying.”

“Ah, okay, I was just about to ask how this could’ve been your first workout when I’ve already seen you at least twice this week.”

Putting on her face lotion, Yaz bit her lip so as not to make an embarrassing sound at those words (that happened a lot at the moment and she was decidedly not a fan of this development). Despite Jamie being on the morning rota for this week, they had often missed each other as the PT tended to come in when Yaz was just about to wrap up her session or was already hidden away in the changing room, so the fact that Jamie had still noticed her from afar sent a flush up her cheeks.

(The redness totally came from the harsh way she had just rubbed her face, just to be clear.)

If the blonde noticed it, she didn’t comment. “Sometimes ya just have one of those bad weeks, I guess. It happens.”

Yaz barely kept herself from laughing out loud when Jamie almost covered her face with the wet rag, noticing not a second too late and quickly flicking her wrist to rub her forehead with the back of her hand instead. She still looked at the cloth with such indignant offense that the scrunch of her nose was visible above the rim of her mask. 

God, she was adorable.

_Okay, focus, Khan. There’s a conversation happening right now._

“I know, but I’m still glad that I’ve broken the spell just in time for the weekend,” Yaz conceded. “Bad workouts tend to ruin the mood.”

“Oh, defo.”

The crinkles around her eyes hinting at a sympathetic smile beneath the fabric, the PT vanished behind the next row of lockers, leaving Yaz to finally get ready in peace. Still keeping one eye on the mirror to watch out for Jamie’s return, she dried her hair and pulled on her tank top at last. She was done with braiding just in time.

When Jamie finally emerged from behind the lockers and made her way over to jot down her scratchy signature on the cleaning plan, Yaz finally remembered to pose the question she’d been meaning to ask the whole morning.

Zumba on Thursday, right. Of course she wanted Jamie to give the class, even if the choreography the blonde had chosen to do for months before lockdown was far from being Yaz’s favourite. She had spent a ridiculous amount of time mulling over how to word her question, and now that the moment had come to actually ask, she found her stomach fluttering with nerves again.

Well, there was no time like the present, was there?

“So, do we have a dancing date Thursday evening?”

As soon as the words were out, Yaz held her breath. She hadn’t planned on phrasing it that provocatively, however something inside her had gotten spurred on by the PT initiating their conversation. And of course she was curious if she’d catch on or - even better - take the bait.

Thankfully, Jamie laughed beside her, making her grin in return. “Well, turns out I’m on duty then. And coincidentally I’m also giving the class, yeah. So we’ll see each other then.”

“Lookin’ forward to it,” she replied, then added after a beat, “tho not to your choreo.”

The blonde just rolled her eyes good-naturedly, clearly used to her constant nagging about it. “You’ll never let it go, will ya?”

“For as long as you choose to do that one, slim chance. You know what I want.”

Okay, she was being unprecedentedly bold here, caution thrown completely to the wind. _Of course_ she was only talking about her favourite choreography (the one Jamie had proclaimed to never do again, much to her dismay), nothing more, nothing less. She’d deny every other intent or purpose as soon as anyone would ask.

Mischievousness glinted back at her out of bright hazel eyes. “We can’t always get what we want, eh?”

And with that, Jamie left her standing alone at the mirror to look after her retreating form. 

Shaking her head at the both of them and their collective ridiculousness while trying to ignore the fluttering sensation in her stomach, Yaz jugged the rest of her protein shake before making her way to the exit. She was so ready for a big breakfast right about now.

Not always getting what she wanted? If Jamie only knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been 115 days since I last saw Gym Crush and I'm sad.
> 
> Cheer me up with some feedback? Pls?


	6. dance with me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there is too much real events in this chapter... that last scene is almost 100 % what happened last summer and I still haven't recovered

Bored out of her mind, Yaz scrolled through Instagram, which turned out to not really help fight her boredom after all.

Baby pictures of people she wouldn’t even call her friends anymore, ads, promo pics of celebrities, ads, another post from Sonya (what the hell was she even _doing_ there?), another corporate- wait. Her face heated up when she read the words in the picture and she groaned.

_“That moment when your gym crush smiles at you…”_

Apparently it was World Smile Day today, and so the TARDIS Fitness account had decided to make a post for the occasion. It was ridiculous, there were hundreds of people running around with a gym crush on this planet, but still she felt called out. By an IG post. This was how far she had come. 

As soon as she was done pitying herself, she sent it to Bill.

Yaz[10:21am]: I feel personally victimised by TARDIS how dare they  
Bill[10:22am]: Ha!   
Yaz[10:24am]: honestly who’s in the social media team? who do I have to punch??   
Bill[10:27am]: nobody   
Bill[10:27am]: cos no-one made a mistake   
Bill[10:28am]: not their fault u started crushing on her   
Yaz[10:28am]: TARDIS hired Jamie they could’ve seen this coming   
Bill[10:29am]: oh man   
Bill[10:29am]: ur hopeless   
Yaz[10:30am]: am I tempted to write a comment like ‘I wouldn’t know since they have to wear a mask’? yes. will I do it? no.   
Bill[10:32am]: I stand corrected   
Bill[10:32am]: ur hopeless and a chickenshit

Huffing, Yaz put her phone back down. 

Yes, she was definitely hopeless. In fact she was so hopeless that she was already nervous about zumba class despite it being still two days away (she loved that class and liked Jamie a normal amount, absolutely). 

However she still wasn't a proud owner of a time machine, so there was nothing she could do about the passage of time, no matter how much she wanted to. Before Yaz could lose herself in daydreams about jumping between past and future as if it were nothing and time bending at her whim, she turned back to the open laptop in front of her.

Scrolling through job adverts had become a daily routine for her by now, just as much as the frustration when there was nothing new or suitable for her to be found. Switching over to job portal four of five, she was determined to make quick work of the six new adverts that had come in since yesterday.

And she would have almost succeeded if there hadn’t been something that caught her eye and kicked off something inside her, making her wonder.

Maybe this was something she could do…

\-----

“You again.”

“I could say the same about you.”

“I work here. I _get paid_ to be here.”

“And I _pay_ money to be here, so who’s more right to be here all the time?”

“I... have no response to that that works in my favour.” At Jack’s defeated admittance and subsequent shake of head, Yaz grinned triumphantly, prompting him to grin as well under his mask. “So, what’s it you wanna bother me with today, hot stuff?”

Her eyebrows shot up instantly, but she still couldn’t help chuckling a bit in response to the flattery, much to her dismay. “I think it’s wildly inappropriate to call a member that.”

“Only if the member doesn’t like it,” he winked first, then added, “It’s either that or kiddo, and something tells me that you wouldn’t be overly fond of that one either.”

“Kiddo? Honestly?”

The wrinkles around his eyes deepened at Yaz’s groan, he definitely enjoyed riling her up. “Yep, we both know I got a bunch of years on you. Plus, I’m the head here so I can call everyone kiddo by default.”

“Oh, now I wanna see you say that to that forty-something twenty-five stone bodybuilder who’s currently up with the free weights, please.”

Jack pulled a face. “Fair point. You’re on a roll today.”

“Yep, that’s actually what I wanted to shamelessly brag about,” she started, barely able to contain the excitement already bubbling under her skin again as she thought about sharing her personal achievement, “I cracked the 100 kg deadlifts today!”

“Congrats! How many reps?”

“Five-four-three. Not bad for the first time, eh?” she boasted, chest puffed out. She usually wasn’t one to brag about things, but this was something she had set her mind to a year ago, so the pride she was feeling was more than justified.

The gym head crossed his arms in front of his chest and nodded solemnly. “I’m definitely impressed. Back when I was still working in Cardiff we decided to have a fun competition for Christmas. Hundred times hundred, whoever was fastest won. Couldn’t move for the whole of the holidays, I was so sore.”

“Cardiff, huh? Wouldn’t have thought that… with your accent and all.”

“My accen- oh, yeah. Ah, it’s a longer story, but basically I spent my teens in the US and picked up the accent there.” Shaking himself out of his reminiscence, Jack raised an eyebrow at her. “Also, should I feel hurt that you didn’t even ask if I won the deadlift competition?”

“I actually wanted to spare you the humiliation of having to tell me that you didn’t, but by all means, go ahead.”

“Damn, you’re really good. How could you tell?” Jack deflated slightly, “Please don’t tell me I look weak, my ego can’t handle any more attacks from you today.”

Chuffed from calling him out once again, Yaz laughed. “Nah, just a hunch. I were a police officer, the job comes with a sixth sense.”

And just like that, he was back to his cocky and flirty self. “Oh, police… would’ve loved to see you in uniform, officer.”

She was just about to give a snarky comeback as Donna came up behind her and made her way around and behind the counter. Cocking her head to the side, the redhead regarded him with a raised eyebrow.

“Working on the next member complaint?”

“Always, got a reputation to uphold after all,” he winked at her, “I’m pretty sure somewhere there’s a trophy with my name on it:” he moved his hand through the air as if creating an invisible banner, “most dropped charges.”

Donna shook her head in familiar exasperation. “Still waiting for the day when HR won’t fall for your charm anymore.”

“Which hopefully never comes. You’d be sad to see me leave and we both know it.”

“Well, I’d hate to see you leave,” she started with a smirk, “but I love to watch you go.”

Eyes widening and jaw dropping in a theatrical manner, Jack pressed his hand flat to his chest. “Donna! I am shook! Maybe _I_ should file a complaint about _your_ behaviour.”

Utterly perplexed, Yaz could do nothing but watch the scene unfold in front of her with rising levels of disbelief. She was well aware that the team in every gym had an easy rapport with each other, no matter the position each person was in, however witnessing it like that still left her with some sort of bewilderment sometimes. It was just so different from what she was used to from her time in the force.

“What do you think?”

And just like that Yaz was ripped out of her thoughts again, looking into two expectant faces clearly waiting for her to settle a dispute. Now that was definitely a flashback to her old job. So she did something she had wanted to do a lot of times then but never could.

“I think I will go home now,” she sighed and pointed her finger at the both of them, her best stern police officer expression firmly in place “cos I refuse to be dragged into this.” 

“Wise choice,” Donna nodded approvingly before turning to Jack, arms crossed over her chest, “She’s bright and sensible, that one, maybe we should put her in charge of the gym instead of you.”

Unbidden, the thought of being Jamie’s boss ran through her mind. Well, that would certainly get her closer to the blonde, but probably wouldn’t make the whole crush thing any easier. Also, she had no idea about TARDIS’ stance on fraternisation. Groaning internally, Yaz pushed the thought far, far away again. This wouldn’t happen anyway, so why even entertain the notion?

“Thanks, I’ll pass for now. As far as I can tell being in charge of this team is like herding a bag of cats,” Yaz smiled wryly and nodded in Jack’s direction, “Especially this one and Jamie.” 

Something changed in both PTs’ eyes, forcing Yaz’s heart to somersault anxiously. She had said something wrong, hadn’t she? Probably ratted out Jamie to her superiors without wanting to. Yaz wanted nothing more than to take the words and shove them right back into her mouth.

“I- I didn’t mean, like, _god_ ,” she stammered, her eyes probably wide with panic, “I didn’t mean that in a bad way, Jamie’s doing nothing wrong, she’s great!”

A long beat of deafening silence passed between the three, and Yaz was just about ready to hand back her membership card and then die on the spot, when Jack and Donna snorted and burst into a cacophony of cackles. Realising that they were having a laugh on her behalf, her mortification instantly turned into revenge fantasies.

Noticing Yaz’s now rather icy glare, Jack sobered up again while his eyes still betrayed his obvious amusement on her expense. “Don’t worry, it’s fine. We know our team, you can’t tell us anything we don’t already know.”

“Exactly,” Donna chimed in, “we know Jamie can be quite chaotic and all over the place, but thankfully Clara and Amy are there to reign her in sometimes.”

More unwanted images immediately sprang to Yaz’s mind at those words, leaving her with a weird mix of jealousy and arousal. Great. She _definitely_ needed to leave. Right now.

While Yaz usually wasn’t one to break up a conversation (she was too happy to talk to the PTs), she needed to stop right there before her post-workout endorphins and empty stomach could make her say more things she might regret later. 

“Alright, great talk,” she purposefully put an ironic emphasis on _great_ , “but I gotta run now. Pretty sure there are some people milling about just waiting to be chastised for disregarding the rules, too.”

A pained groan at the reminder from both of the PTs was following her as she made her way around the front desk and through the turnstiles. Yaz had just raised her hand and waved them a final goodbye when Donna called after her. 

“Wait, you’re coming in tonight for zumba, right?”

Turning around, Yaz furrowed her eyebrows. “Of course, why?”

“Oh, nothing,” the redhead waved her off suspiciously quickly, “just wanted to remind you in case you forgot.”

Yaz raised a disbelieving eyebrow at her. “Me? Forgetting about zumba? Y’know who you’re talking to, right?”

“Yep, someone who was determined to leave, so off you pop!”

If it had been Ryan standing there making a shooing motion at her, she would’ve flipped him off without a second of hesitation. However she definitely hadn’t reached that level with Donna yet, so she was forced to stick with a sickenly sweet smile - which was so fake nobody could miss it - before she turned away and made her way out for good.

Maybe she should try to make new friends elsewhere.

\----

Yaz stared at the clock for what felt like the fifth time within ten minutes and still time seemed to drag on like syrup pouring from a spoon - it was almost like the last period of every single day in high school. It was just about an hour to go before she had to leave for the gym again, and she couldn’t concentrate on anything, her mind always straying back to zumba and most of all Jamie.

Whining, she pushed her laptop to the side and placed her arms on the desk, resting her head on top of them. 

She was tempted to text Bill and share her unfathomable suffering and nervousness, but she knew it would end in nothing but eye rolling and more or less gentle ribbing from her side (which was absolutely justified, Yaz knew she deserved every bit of teasing about her hopelessness). So that was off the table. Same for starting the application for that course she had found a few days prior since she was too terrified of actually getting caught up in it and ending up running late.

Raising herself back up with a groan, she looked around, tapping a quick rhythm on the tabletop, her right leg joining in seconds later and bouncing off the floor. 

Fuck this.

Throwing the gym clothes she had picked out over the bathtub rim as she walked in, Yaz found herself in front of her mirror, staring contemplatively at herself. She might as well start getting ready now and put in a bit more effort than usual considering the occasion.

(Not that she didn’t already put in more effort even for the morning sessions in the off chance Jamie might be on duty.)

Once she had wrangled herself into her black sports bra, she pulled out her assortment of combs, hair ties and clips and got to work. Yaz loved doing her hair. Weaving her fingers through it, twisting and turning strands into position, focusing on nothing else but this - it was oddly calming. Not to mention satisfying in the case of a beautiful result.

She knew she couldn’t go for something too extravagant, both for time and practicality reasons, but she still tried to come up with something that might draw attention (well, Jamie’s) just about enough. Turning her head from side to side, she regarded her handiwork in the mirror.

The part above her ears was plaited back in dutch braids on either side, coming together in the middle on the back of her head. She brushed the rest up and tied it together with the braids in a high ponytail, finishing off with twisting one around the hair tie to make it disappear. Pinning it securely in place, Yaz considered braiding the rest of her hair down completely, but decided against it, opting to leave it as it is, even unbraiding the end of the remaining dutch braid as well.

Yes, this should about do it. And if she got annoyed by stray strands sticking to her during class, then she could always tie it up quickly in between songs.

A glance at her phone told her she had successfully spent quite an amount of time making sure every tiny baby hair was in the right place or neatly tucked away. Throwing on her remaining workout clothes - black shorts and a loose and half-sheer dark green top - , Yaz freshened up her mascara and finally she was done with her preparations. 

If only her mental preparations were equally done or even successful.

\----

Despite her Pakistani heritage, being born and raised in Sheffield - and thus growing up on the cooler side of the temperature scale - left Yaz cursing and sweating in the Northern summer sun quite a bit this year. Absolutely expected but still adding insult to injury, she was hit with a wave of humidity once she entered the gym that was three times worse than when she had left earlier in the morning.

She still had a lot of time to spare before the course room would be open, so once she had locked her stuff away and splashed her face with cold water (careful enough to not ruin her mascara) she busied herself with her phone in the lounge. She might be over eager to get to class and thus to Jamie, however she was still clinging to her last shred of dignity and refused to wait in front of the doors fifteen minutes before they would be open.

Oh well, she might as well bite the bullet and text Bill.

Yaz[5:31pm]: i know it’s ridiculous but I’m so nervous!!  
Bill[5:32pm]: omg me too

She stared at her phone in confusion for a second until it dawned on her. Of course! Bill was about to give the same zumba class in Bristol now, too. Knowing her, she was probably running through the staff room like a headless chicken this very moment.

Yaz[5:33pm]: aw, don’t worry, you’ll do a great job as always  
Bill[5:33pm]: i know I know   
Bill[5:33pm]: but it somehow doesn’t feel like a regular class, yknow   
Yaz[5:34pm]: yeah more like a release special   
Bill[5:34pm]: you get it, my mate

Every six months a new zumba choreography got released in the form of a ninety minutes class special, including inflatable decorations for the stage and sometimes even little gimmicks for the attendees. This year’s first special had inevitably been cancelled due to nationwide gym closures just a week prior to the set date, so Yaz (and everyone else) had only ever seen the new choreography twice in an online class.

Chances were now that Jamie would either do this one or her other choreography - the one Yaz wasn’t too fond of - , and not knowing what to expect made her somewhat nervous. Especially since she didn’t want to fall over her feet in front of the PT since she didn’t know the steps all that well yet.

(It didn’t matter that everyone else would struggle just as much or even moreso, her pride was a stubborn and fragile thing.)

Letting Bill get ready in peace, Yaz scrolled through various apps on her phone in the hope of calming her racing heart, looking up ever so often and scanning the floor in case Jamie ran around before class. 

Soon enough, the time in the upper right corner of the screen reminded her that it’d be only minutes until the doors opened, and she sprung into action. Towel, filled up bottle, chip card, phone - yep, she got everything she needed. 

Up the stairs and turning right after a row of leg press machines, Yaz was faced with the fact that there was already another person standing around. Apparently her worries about appearing too overzealous had been in vain. Nodding at the woman, she passed her and sat back down right beside the doors, her back against the wall.

From this position she could not only watch how more and more people came but she also had a perfect view of when Jamie would come around the corner from the direction of the staff room.

She didn’t have to wait much longer.

Like a blond lightning bolt, Jamie dashed around the corner, Amy hot on her heels, paying no mind to the throng of people that had already formed a queue. However she couldn’t miss Yaz sitting beneath the doors’ lock pad. She immediately went to get up and make room for the PT, who huffed a laugh.

“The first in line, of course.”

“To be honest I’m second,” Yaz gesticulated at the other woman standing nearby while Jamie held her wristband to the pad and the doors clicked open, “she was there before me.”

“Well, now I’m disappointed.” 

Yaz didn’t even need to look into her face to know she was just teasing her, the words dripping with humour, yet still she felt the need to defend herself and her dedication to the class. “Oi! I was sitting in the lounge for more than ten minutes before I got up here, so in the grand scheme of things I was totally the first!”

The PT raised an eyebrow at her. “Well, in that case…” 

Hands on her hips, she held the blonde’s gaze. Their stare-down didn’t last more than two seconds however since Amy’s pointed cough caught Jamie’s attention again, probably reminding her that the clock was ticking and people were waiting to be let into the room. Undoubtedly pulling a face under her mask, Jamie threw her colleague an apologetic look the same time she pulled the left of the two doors open and went to prop it open with one of the heavy kettlebells from the neighbouring gymnastics area.

Their eyes met one more time just as the PT all but skipped into the room - clearly enthusiastic to be giving zumba again - and Yaz could do nothing but stare after her absolutely dumbfounded. Had Jamie just… _winked_ at her? 

She was so paralysed by the thought, she noticed just in time how she was standing in Amy’s way as she was trying to open up the second door. The bemused glance the redhead shot her when she jumped a whole metre away made her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Had she just been caught out?

But the PT’s next words were not what Yaz had expected. 

“Don’t mind her, she’s been insufferable the whole day, running around like an overexcited puppy,” Amy sighed quietly enough just for Yaz to hear as she rammed the door wedge into the door crack with her foot, “I’m just here to make sure she doesn’t break anything, especially herself, before the class starts.” Then, louder for everyone else as well, “Now come on in.”

She was deprived of a chance to react, the PT already well through the door and turnstiles herself, so Yaz could do nothing but shake herself out of it and motion at the woman that got there first to go on through. She hadn’t been raised by wolves, after all.

Flopping down on her usual spot, she watched as Jamie first ran back and forth between the stage and the door, always under Amy’s watchful eyes, until she finally found everything to her liking and made camp in the entryway alongside her colleague. Sighing, Yaz grabbed her phone again.

So much for talking to Jamie before class. 

While Yaz was growing more and more comfortable and confident talking to almost any PT that crossed her path, approaching two at the same time was still too daunting for her. They were probably discussing important gym stuff anyway, so she didn’t want to intrude.

Raising her head to take an inconspicuous look at Jamie through the big mirrors in front of her, Yaz barely managed to contain a broad grin. Well, gym business yes, but important? Debatable.

Jamie was dancing along to the intro music blaring from the speakers, doing all the right steps for the current song while Amy leant against the doorframe with crossed arms, clearly bemused but not surprised by her antics. To be honest, Yaz wasn’t either.

Only now Yaz had the time and opportunity to take in her outfit. The tight black leggings weren’t unusual, but the rest definitely was something Yaz hadn’t seen her wearing before. Jamie’s chosen top of the day was a wide, white crop top that fell just short of the waistband of her leggings and let show slivers of skin depending on her movements. Yaz’s mouth felt very dry all of a sudden. 

It didn’t help that this time the blonde didn’t have her hair pinned back in ridiculous ways but left it falling down to her chin in a straight bob. If Yaz didn’t know better, she’d guess someone had decided to dress up for the occasion just as much as she had.

But before she could further contemplate how this class might end up being the death of her, the impromptu show was interrupted when Amy swatted Jamie on the shoulder with the back of her hand and pointed at the clock. 

Within seconds the heavy doors fell closed behind the ginger woman and Jamie entered the stage, throwing her mask aside and adjusting her headset as she tapped wildy on the sound system’s touchscreen. Excitement radiated off her in tangible waves when she finally faced the room with a broad grin.

“Hi everybody and welcome back to the first zumba class in four months! I’m Jamie and hope you’re just as excited as I am - the more, the better! Let’s see how much we’ve all forgotten since last time, shall we? Today’s choreo is called _Ritmo del Universo_ , have fun!”

Yaz’s head shot up at neck breaking speed from where she was fiddling with her fitness tracker. From everything that could’ve possibly happened, this definitely wasn’t on the list. 

Eyes meeting Jamie’s across the room, Yaz felt like the rug was being pulled out from under her at the PT’s brilliant grin.

They weren’t going to do the most recent or Jamie’s usual choreo, but Yaz’s favourite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still not over Gym Crush in that outfit. And it's been 136 days since I last saw her. *le sigh*


End file.
